Our Past, Our Future
by C'sMelody
Summary: Ash and Misty have been apart for 4 years. When their paths cross again, they must see eye-to-eye and face all the silly misunderstandings that have kept them from each other. Fact is rumors spread quickly and tend to have great impact. Ash Ketchum has always had a tendency to danger, and Misty Waterflower is the queen of short temper. Care to share something, Brocko?
1. Painful Memories - part I

**I've FINALLY taken the time to anylise, rewrite, correct and (hopefully) improve this chapter. I feel like crying of happiness! :')**

**If you know me, you'll know I take my time to upload chapters, especially when something big's coming up, which is the competition I told you about some weeks ago.**

**Just a note of the ages (yes, I changed this too, but not the protagonists'):**

**Ash – 20**

**Misty – 19 (almost 20)**

**Brock – 25**

**Daisy – 30**

**Violet – 27**

**Lily – 26**

**Delia – 39 (on her way to 40)**

**Prof. Oak – 60**

**Disclaimer:**** A very realistic, saddening, and painful fact is that I do NOT own either Pokémon or the lyrics of the song in this fanfic - or the song itself. Besides, I earn nothing but mine and your enjoyment; reviews, favs and follows - which, let's be honest, is a great payment ;)**

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><p><strong>Painful memories<strong>

Misty was sitting in her bed, both arms holding her knees. Her chin was resting on them and she had her beautiful aqua-blue eyes closed while enjoying the sound of some romantic old music from the 80's – she didn't like actual music very much.

It was a great day outside. Summer was at its peak, the sun was shining enthusiastically though it was just 9 a.m. The window was fully opened, allowing a small breeze to come in and play with Misty's now longer, wavy, red-orange hair. She had woken up half an hour ago, but she didn't want to go down and face the unavoidable truth: she was all alone in that enormous gym of hers. Her sisters were on _yet_ _another_ trip around Europe and she was left in charge of the gym _again_.

She would not admit it, but she felt lonely every time they went on these trips and Misty was left behind to "take care of the gym", because she was "the best trainer out of the four". Okay, she had her powerful water pokémon with her, but that wasn't the same. And it was true that the Sensational Sisters weren't the best sisters she could wish for, but deep inside Misty loved them and knew they loved her as well. And one thing was for sure – they treated her a _lot_ better than before.

Suddenly, the music changed. She frowned, her eyes opening briskly, and wondered why the bloody hell that song was in the middle of the CD - she didn't remember putting it there. _Lily has done it good this time!_ she thought sarcastically, a small drop falling down her forehead. _Thank Mew for my sisters' ability to actually organize CDs!_

She was so focused on the fact that Lily and Violet had probably been messing around with her CDs again that she almost missed on what song was playing, and its meaning. When realization hit her though, she grasped abruptly, and while trying to remain lucid and calm, she shook her head to try and keep the memory away. However, it insisted on showing itself and she remembered everything, almost 4 years ago.

_Misty woke up later than usual that morning. After stretching and yawning in a way that would make her sisters' eyes jump off, she headed right to the shower. The gym leader allowed herself to bathe slowly and relax for a bit. _

_When she came out with a pale blue towel wrapping her hair and another around her body, Azumarill happily ran to her, a board containing her breakfast in its paws– a glass of milk, two toasts, orange juice and a bowl with strawberries. She smiled when she saw her poképal struggling to land it on her unmade bed._

"_Is it all for me?" she asked, the smile still on her lips. The blue pokémon nodded and ran to her, pushing Misty to the bed. "Alright, alright, I'll eat!" she giggled. The water-type nodded again and rushed out of the room. _

_Misty smiled at her cute pal as she sat on the bed and started eating the strawberries. _This is well suited for an army! Besides, I doubt Azumarill made all this, _she thought, a bit suspicious, glancing at her food and wondering if it was okay to eat it. Shrugging, she kept feeding herself._

_After eating most of it, Misty chose her clothes for the day. She never did it, and it was so unlike her, but that day s__he chose a simple blue dress that almost reached her knees. She let her wavy hair free - it was a bit longer than her shoulder – and put a blue hairpin on it to keep her bangs from getting on her eyes. She put on some sandals and a silver necklace with a little heart shape her sisters had given her on her previous birthday. Misty looked at herself in the mirror._

"_Not bad…" she murmured to herself, sliding her eyes down the figure on the mirror._

"_I'd say it's like, not bad at all, little sis!"_

_Misty turned around and saw her blonde sister at the door with a great smile on her face._

"_Daisy!" Misty cried out, running to her sister's open arms._

"_Happy birthday, little sis!" Daisy giggled, hugging back._

"_Thank you!" Misty said and let go of the hug. "This is a wonderful surprise!"_

"_Oh, it's nothing really. Like, your true surprise is down there!" Daisy said as she picked the board and winked at a confused Misty._

"_Surprise? What surprise?" Misty asked, her eyes now brighter than usual._

"_If I tell you, then it's not, like, a surprise!" Daisy shouted over her shoulder as she left Misty's room._

_The redhead followed her to the kitchen and waited, about to burst from curiosity, for her sister to develop._

"_So, where is it?" she asked impatiently._

"_Come here," Daisy said as she put the board on the table and walked towards Misty, removing the white scarf around her neck. Misty walked to her and finally noticed that she was wearing a golden dress as long as Misty's, and white sandals that matched the white scarf. "Turn around now," Daisy ordered and tied it around Misty's eyes, so she wouldn't be able to see._

_Then Daisy walked along the house's corridor that led to the biggest pool, all the way holding Misty's hands and telling her where to step. Finally, they arrived near the door and Daisy opened it, telling Misty she could remove the piece of cloth from her eyes. The youngest did so in time to hear:_

"_HAPPY BIRTHDAY!"_

_She grasped in surprise, bringing both her hands to her mouth, eyes agape. Most of her friends, if not all, were there, as well as her pokémon and, of course, her sisters Violet and Lily, who came to hug her at the same time._

"_Happy birthday, lil'sis!" Both said in unison._

"_Thank you!" Misty cried out, holding them both._

_She pulled out of the hug and saw Brock - with whom she had planned to spend the day with, because he had insisted for her to do so, and had told her that he had a birthday surprise for her, - May, Dawn, Drew, Tracey, Max, Delia, Prof. Oak, and some more people behind. Then, by out the corner of her eye, she thought she had spotted yellow fur on the floor._ It can't be, _she thought, _Pikachu? But if Pikachu is over there, then…

"_Happy birthday, Mist!" a familiar husky voice said behind her._

_She turned around slowly, still not believing in her ears. But there he was, with a great, goofy smile on his face, looking good, finally taller than her, with his chocolate brown eyes and the same clothes as always. Not containing herself, she hugged him tightly as she called out his name. He went noticeably rigid all of a sudden, but then he did wrap his arms around her. She felt his warmth, closing her eyes for a moment. Then she stepped back, knowing everyone was staring._

"_Ash Ketchum!" she started, pulling away from their embrace. He just smiled at her while she stormed at him. "How could you possibly miss my 14__th__ and 15__th__ birthdays? I haven't seen you in ages! Do you think you come here and that's it?"_

"_I've missed you too, Mist!" He sighed and held her again._

"_Hey! I'm not fi-!" she started to protest, but was interrupted by his hug. _

_Everybody laughed hard at them._

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><p><em>The party was going great – everyone was having a great time, even Brock was seemingly having a nice talk with one of Misty's girl friends. When the redhead saw them talking and the girl smiling at him, she thought the girl was probably a kind of saint, and then giggled to herself.<em>

_Misty supposed the decorations had been her sisters' handiwork, because there would be no way anyone else would have thought of decorating a gym so elegantly. Even the pool had some sort of flower petals floating around - which reminded her that she would have to clean that after. That and the big "16" neatly written on a giant piece of pink paper and held up on the ceiling by more fluffy decorations were the high signs of feminism showed there. Not to mention the big chocolate cake at her right, on the desserts table, which she supposed was either Brock's or Mrs. Ketchum's doing._

_Meanwhile, the now sixteen year-old girl was walking around, thanking everyone for coming, hugging and kissing, having a small chat with some of her friends, receiving and unwrapping some presents, and keeping an eye on Gyarados. The water type seemed to be having fun as well, so there was no reason for alarm._

_Daisy was scanning through her CDs when Misty walked up to her with two drinks, all the while trying to not run into anyone and ruin both her dress and the victims'._

"_Here," she said, handing Daisy one of the glasses. Her sister raised her head from the CDs and thanked Misty with a smile. "The party looks great, Daisy, thank you," Misty said honestly._

"_Oh, but it wasn't my idea," Daisy smirked, as she changed the music._

_Misty was confused now. "Well, who did this then? Brock?" Daisy shrugged and Misty rolled her eyes in annoyance. "Just tell me!" Receiving no response, she groaned, frustrated, and raised the glass to her lips._

_Misty let her eyes wander along the room, happy that all of her friends seemed to be having a good time. Her smile increased when she spotted Brock with that girl again. They sort of looked good together._ Well, it's about time, _she thought._

_She was in such a state of daydreaming she didn't notice one presence approaching her._

"_Hey, Mist," Ash called sheepishly._

_She 'woke up' with a startle and stared at his shy figure. He was staring right back at her with those big, brown eyes. Misty felt a shiver running down her spine, and she knew it wasn't because of the temperature. _

"_Hi, Ash," she managed to say, then taking her eyes off his to prevent herself from starting to feel those weird things again._

"_Do you want to dance?" _

_Misry didn't know if she had listened well, so she glanced back at him, only to find Ash with a small blush, probably much alike hers now, and rubbing the back of his head, something he usually did when he was uncomfortable. He was starting to get fidgety, she noticed._

Come on, girl, it's not like he asked you out on a date, is it? It's just a dance, because it's your birthday! React, for Mew's sake!

_After an uncomfortable silence, Misty was able to stutter, "Oh, sure, Ash, um… let's dance," and offer him a small smile. She put her drink down on the table and, somewhat astonished, accepted Ash's hand._

_The raven haired trainer led the way to the improvised dance floor, still holding her hand, and in Misty's opinion, it was all a bit too formal to be just a 'normal' dance between two best friends._

_Purposely or not, the song that was being currently played changed, and Misty's first thought was,_ Daisy, I'm so killing you._ Then she noticed her hand was still on his, and another blush made its way to her pale face._

_If she weren't so concerned about herself, her current problems in behaving normally, and twisting her head to verify that no one was staring, she would have said Ash was looking worse than herself. The boy had his eyes completely focused on her, and it seemed he was in some sort of trance._

"_You know you don't have to do this if you don't-"_

"_I want to!" he said, his words coming out in catapult, causing Misty to slightly jump. "Sorry," he said more shyly. Misty lightly shook her head and smiled warmly at him, encouraging him to go on. "So, do you want to dance with me or what?" he half-teased._

That's more like it, Ash, that's more like you,_ she thought, promptly accepting his almost 'formal' invitation._

I can't fight this feeling any longer,

And yet I'm still afraid to let it flow

What started out as friendship has grown stronger,

I only wish I had the strength to let it show

_Ash, very slowly and indecisively, reached over to Misty, embracing her waist with his arm, gently pulling her to him. As their bodies touched, Misty's blush increased – if that was possible - and so did her nervousness. Her arms though, they ended up around his neck, which made Ash noticeably stiff._

_The pokémon trainer tentatively placed his other hand on her middle back, then letting his fingers climb up to her hair, getting under it. Misty shivered, or purred, after feeling his rough fingertips against her skin._

I tell myself that I can't hold out forever

I say there is no reason for my fear

'Cause I feel so secure when we're together

You give my life direction, you make everything so clear

_Misty was having an inner debate revolving around whether mentally kicking Daisy for putting her in such uncomfortable situation, or thanking her from the bottom of her heart for this lifetime chance. Dancing with Ash felt so right. And his eyes… Oh, his eyes… She sighed dreamily. They seemed to be gleaming just for her._

_Ash pulled Misty a little closer, to the point her hands had to lower themselves down to his shoulders, making her stomach clench tightly. She breathed in his scent, and it was like inhaling the outdoors all over again - Nature ecloded inside of him, it ran alongside his blood. Misty didn't know how to describe it; it was just wonderful and um… attractive? She completed mentally. Perfect, she decided with a timid smile._

And even as I wander, I'm keeping you in sight

You're a candle in the window on a cold dark winter's night

And I'm getting closer than I ever thought I might

_Gravity - that was the excuse she found for her head to be resting on his chest, her forehead right on his collarbone. Please, if this is a dream, don't let me wake up yet. Misty let her hands slide down a bit more, the right one gently clutching his blue coat, his accelerated heart pulsing right against her fingers. It seemed she wasn't the only one nervous. _

_Misty's face was hot, her cheeks red, and her eyes were nearly closed. The redhead's expression was of pure peace. Right now, each one of her worries seemed to evaporate in a gray cloud, allowing her to taste every bit of this she could._

And I can't fight this feeling anymore

I've forgotten what I started fighting for

And if I have to crawl upon the floor

Come crushing through your door

Baby I can't fight this feeling anymore

_Taking his hand from her back, Ash let his fingers entwine with hers. Misty leveled herself with him again, and as she did, Ash slowly made her spin once, then pulling her to him again. She was dazed; her surroundings were completely oblivious to her. Just Ash mattered; the rest was like background for some romantic movie she used to watch._

"_Mist," he whispered in her ear, causing a tingling sensation on it. "Happy birthday…"_

"_Yeah, you already said it once," she half-teased, a playful smirk on her lips as she murmured those words back to him. Misty was trying to not let herself sound as nervous and uncomfortable as she actually was._

"_I know, I'm just trying to make it up for the last couple of years…" he trailed off. "Happy birthday, Mist."_

_She didn't know what to say to that, so Misty chose silence. Was that an apology coming from the Ash Ketchum she knew?_

_And it always seems that I'm following you girl_

'_Cause you take me to the places alone I'd never find_

_Well, no, I'm the one who followed him, she thought, correcting the lyrics with an easy smile._

_Ash leaned forward and rested his forehead on hers, making her gasp, and pulled her hand to the back of his neck. Her lower lip trembled, her other hand grasped his coat tightly, much like her life depended on it, as she silently prayed for him to not let go. Misty could feel his peppermint breath on her face, and she wondered if he tasted like that too._

_Baby I can't fight this feeling anymore._

_The music was already in the last chords, but Misty didn't want to let go, she didn't want to stop feeling him that close to her. To her surprise, Ash put one hand under her chin, conducting her face to his, and gently kissed her lips for just a mere second before pulling away from their warmth, hardly giving her time to reciprocate or even taste it. She was all too surprised to react, since it was all too fast, and once he pulled away, someone grabbed her arm and took her from his embrace, his confused and flushered face gazing at her being the last thing she remembered._

Misty got back to herself, shivering and almost crying. _No_, _I won't cry, _she mentally stated with determination. Her faith though, it was shaking, and tears threatened to fall down her cheeks any moment.

The song ended. She sighed in relief and looked around her room for distraction – it had costed a fortune, but it was more than worth it – kind of like dream came true. Now there was no way her sisters could keep her from having her own stuff.

In front of her bed was a wooden desk full of papers and the white and blue stereo. At its right there was a shelf full of CDs she enjoyed. Her king-sized bed occupied the center of the room, its blankets were blue and those princess curtains she loved were hanging over. The bed was sided by two fluffy, yellow carpets and two wooden bedside tables. At her left was the also closed wooden door and a bookcase filled with novels, water pokémon manuals and some albums filled with friends, family, and her own photographs. The window was perpendicular to the bookcase and was open, just like the other on Misty's right. The bathroom's door – at her right – was opened just a tiny bit. She could see the blue walls and white floor. Then a corridor at her right made a curve to the left, passing behind the bathroom.

She smiled at the comfort of it.

"I really need to get ready…" she sighed to herself and dragged her own body to the bathroom, where she took a shower. Misty came out feeling much more relaxed, then walking to the corridor that led to her dressing room, courtesy of her sisters. Not that she would complain.

She chose some blue jeans, a yellow tank top and sneakers – there are some things that don't change - and tied her hair back instead of the side-ponytail she used to wear. She smiled at herself in the mirror next to the door and left the room with the towels under her arm.

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><p>Her first opponent of the morning was a short kid, around ten years old, brown hair and confident grey eyes being his distinctive features – well, that's what Misty thought. His clothes were completely green, from his sneakers, through his shorts, to his t-shirt.<p>

Misty easily beat his Spearow and Charmender with her Corsola, and immediately felt sorry for the kid, now trembling on his knees with tears on his eyes. _Poor thing…_ she thought while returning her pokémon. She walked towards his teary-eyed figure and shook his shoulder.

"Hey, it's okay to lose," she tried, but the boy didn't answer and continued sobbing. "Even when you lose you gain experience, right?" she tried again.

He raised his head to look at the one who had just beaten him. "Ha-have you e-ever lost, Miss Wa-waterflower?"

The gym leader smiled at him. "Misty, you may call me Misty, Erik," she said with a warm smile. "And yes, I've lost some times - it's normal! But I try to improve every day," she said.

"I promised my mum I'd be back home as a champion…" he trailed off. That sentence seemed to be painfully familiar to Misty, but she tried to keep it cool. "She'd be disappointed."

"Of course she won't! I'm sure she's very proud of you!" Misty retorted in a matter-of-factly way.

Erick smiled, asking, "Even when I'm the loser?"

"Even when you don't win," she corrected. "The difference between a winner and a beaten person is that the second one won't try again. I'm sure you'll not stop trying, right?"

The boy's smile increased at those words. "Right!"

"Promise?"

"Promise!" he exclaimed and held her. "Thank you Miss-um, Misty!"

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><p>Misty closed the gym's front door, and turning around, she leaned against it and slid down on her knees from exhaustion. <em>It was worth it<em>, she thought. Six challenges, no defeat. The gym leader was very proud of herself and her pokémon; which reminded her that she still had to feed them before collapsing in her own bed. The girl sighed, already foreseeing the time and trouble it would take. Then she gazed down at the photo in her left hand and smiled at Erik and herself, happily hugging each other. Misty wished him the best.

She stood up, stretching, and then throwing her clothes to the floor, wearing nothing but her white swimsuit. Misty closed her eyes before plunging inside the pool, letting the water embrace all of her. She swam with her pokémon while feeding them, all the time congratulating them and their efforts of the day.

Finally done, she rested back, closing her eyes, when a memory tried to come up. The red head shook her head vigorously, attempting to keep the memory away. She had those nearly every day, but not this often or even this persistent.

So, why now?

Azumarill stared at her worriedly, and Misty noticed it. She made a weak smile and said, "It's nothing, I'm fine," to which Azumarill nodded at before diving again.

_No, I'm not…_ she mentally corrected and closed her eyes again.

This time it was unavoidable. The memory rushed through her mind as water rushed through her body, and she remembered it all, irrevocably.

_It was raining heavily outside of Ketchum's residence, and the mad winds of November were wounding trees and dragging dirt and sand everywhere._

_Misty was looking through the window and sighing every two minutes. He was late._

"_Don't worry dear, I'm sure he'll make it!"Mrs. Ketchum reassured her with a smile. It was Delia's birthday and everybody was waiting for Ash to get started for dinner._

"_Oh… Sure…" she murmured, cheeks a bit pink. _

_Almost four months had passed since that… kiss… After that thought Misty's blush increased. They hadn't seen or talked to each other after the… kiss. Right after the song ended they were parted from each other and she hadn't even had the chance to say a decent goodbye to him. They hadn't even talked on the phone! She guessed that that conversation would have to be face to face, and she figured that after his mother's birthday he would stay home for a couple of days, so they could talk about it then._

_She sighed and stood up, trying to find Brock and release any girl in trouble from his terrible grip. To her surprise, she found him with Tracey near the kitchen instead, both engaged in a lively and apparently fascinating conversation. She guessed it would be either about pokémon or women._

"_Hey guys," she greeted._

"_Oh, hi Misty," Brock greeted back, moving aside so she could join them._

"_What were you two talking about that seemed to be so… interesting?"_

"_Well…" Brock blushed slightly._

"_We were talking about Brock's new girlfriend!" Tracey said, completely unaware of Brock's discomfort._

_Brock's cheeks changed to a red tone._

_Yep, it's women alright, Misty acknowledged._

"_Is that right? Brock has a girl-"_

"_Shhh!" Brock cut her off, putting a hand on her mouth. "I don't need the whole world to know about it!"_

"_Oh, he's embarrassed, so cute!" Misty teased him, after managing to get his hand from her lips. She wore both a mockery smirk, and a knowing look. "Who's she?"_

"_That's what I'm trying to uncover. He just won't say the name, but kept repeating it's someone we know," Tracey said._

"_Well… She's-"_

"_Please, I'd like your attention!" Delia half-cried, causing her guests to stop talking to look at her. "As you may see, my son is late, so I thought we could start dinner. I'm sure he'll join us later." Murmurs of agreement were heard, and then, one by one, the guests made their way to the table._

_As they were starting to eat, and Misty and Delia were bringing the last things from the kitchen, the doorbell rang and Delia almost ran to answer the door. _

"_Oh, Ash!"_

_Misty smiled when she heard the bliss in Delia's voice. She could picture the mother hugging her son so tightly it would make him choke._

"_Happy birthday mom!" Ash said with a strangled voice._

"_Hello Pikachu!"_

"_Pi pika pichu!"_

"_Oh… And this is…" Delia trailed off, probably waiting for her son to introduce her to someone else Ash was bringing along._

"_A friend of mine. Is it okay if-?"_

"_Sure! Come on in!" And once more, Misty could imagine Delia almost pulling the newly arrived in. "It's freezing out here and you two are completely soaked!"_

_Misty's heart started beating faster and faster as she heard the footsteps growing in intensity. She didn't know what she would or should do when she saw him. Run and hug him? No, no, no, no, too much! Smile and wave? Not that little either… Just say "Hi, Ash"? Mew, no… _

_Still not figuring out what she'd do, she turned her head to the door, her eyes capturing something she truly wasn't expecting to see._

Misty sighed, the growing ache in her stomach not fading the least bit. She didn't really want to remember anything that had happened next. It was still a shock even after so many years. Taking a deep breath, she lifted herself out of the pool and made sure every pokémon was rightfully back in its tank. Then, she walked up to her room, to take a shower before dinner.

Even if she tried, her body seemed to continuously reject any kind of food, and so, later that night, Misty was in her bed asleep with a single shiny tear coming down her face.

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><p><strong>Yes, the next chapter will still be with Ash, and I have no idea when I'm updating it. I'm sorry if I'm too unpredictable x)<strong>

**The lyrics belong to REO Speedwagon, "Can't Fight This Feeling", and the second flashback was kind of inspired on "November Rain", which I don't either own, it belongs to Guns n' Roses.**

_Love&Music_ for you all,

_C'sMelody_


	2. Painful Memories - part II

**Here is the second chapter! **

**Music:**

- "**Who's Loving You" - Jackson 5 (though I prefer Sam Bailey's version, mind you);**

- "**Memories In My Eyes" - Yiruma**

**Update:**** Yay! I finally updated this chapter. *Sighs and cleans forehead's sweat with Ash's handkerchief.* Hopefully, I covered everything. If not, please let me know.**

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><p><strong>Painful memories – part 2<strong>

Ash Ketchum, one of the most famous pokémon trainers of the century, was lying on his hotel bed with both hands under his messy, spiky black hair, sticking out in every direction randomly, in its eternal glorious form of rebellion.

It was really hot inside the room, so Ash was just wearing his jeans, leaving his toned and well-built chest naked. His forever loyal Pikachu was next to him, staring for almost five minutes and getting really worried. Ash's eyes were hidden by his hat, but he was not sleeping. Pikachu could tell that by the times he heard him grumbling to himself and kicking his feet against the bed.

The room was decorated in a minimalist way - all black and white, and elegantly furnished. It sure did justice to its reputation of five-star hotel situated in one of the Orange Islands - Tangelo Island. Black floor and white halls, black bed and white blankets; two black bedside tables were at each side of the bed and a white wardrobe was right next to it. There was also a big window with white curtains and a balcony with a dark wooden armchair and table.

"_Dammit_," Ash swore under his breath.

"Pikapi?" Pikachu called.

Ash looked down at the yellow mouse by out the corner of his eye, and obliged himself to fake a smile. "I'm fine, buddy, don't worry," he said, though deep inside he knew Pikachu wouldn't buy it.

"Chu… Pika!"

"It's nothing, really…" Ash trailed off, trying to drop the subject. Having nothing to do could really be a bother, especially when all of his current team was at Nurse Joy's care.

"Pi chu pika, Pikapi," the thunder-type insisted, his features wearing a blunt expression of unbelief and suspicion.

"I'm not lying!" the trainer exclaimed, frustrated, and huffed.

"Pi pika Pikachupi?"

"It's not-"

"Pikachu!" the yellow mouse cut Ash off with sparks in his cheeks, clearly threatening him.

"Alright, you won!" Ash shouted, getting up. "It's _her!_"

Ash couldn't help it anymore - it was pointless really, if even his pokémon could effortlessly tell what was going on with him. He thought about her _every single day_. At first he didn't want to admit it, but then it was undeniable. She meant too much. The Butterfree in his stomach got nuts every time he saw her, his heart raced like a competition horse and he just wanted to be with her, to touch her, hold her and even… Ash growled and ran one hand across his face to hide his blush and stop his imagination from going even farther. His poor heart yelped in disappointment.

Pikachu made a smile of compassion and understanding, adding a little "chu…" to emphasize that.

"Thanks for caring, buddy," Ash said, making a weak smile, and scratched Pikachu's head. "But there's nothing I can do now, right?" He sighed and sat back on the bed, passing his right hand through his raven hair.

"Pikapi!"

"It's true!" Ash insisted. Then something seemed to make its way to his mind, because his lips curved in yet another weak smile, a somewhat distant one, as if he was suddenly reminding something. "Do you remember when I found out I was in love with her?" Pikachu nodded, "And the first night without her… I… I felt so empty and alone…" he breathed out.

"Pikachu!" he nodded. Yes, Pikachu _did_ remember that fairly well. Ash had been quite moody for the following days and he hadn't been sleeping well. The yellow mouse knew that because his slumber had been interrupted _far too many times_, though Ash probably hadn't done it on purpose, or even noticed for that matter.

Ash too recalled it pretty well. All he did was thinking of her. Her face, her scent, her smile, laugh, her hair… Her eyes! He even asked his mother why he felt so strange when he was with her - his heart raced, he blushed, he felt warm when she touched him, when she laughed… His mother had giggled and had said, "You'll understand it later". After that, Ash had asked her when that "later" was, to which Delia had responded, "When it's time". Though he had insisted, once more inquiring his mother about the meaning of her words, she had dismissed them by finally stating, "When it's time for you to understand," and standing up to clean the dishes.

He didn't think that was helpful at the time, it had merely confused and worried him even more. But later he did, indeed, understand. He was in love with her. And just by thinking of it, a warm smile lit up on his face, making him blush so much he thought he would explode the next moment.

"I was so confused about why I didn't feel the same for May, Dawn or Iris," Ash continued. "They are great friends, but they could _never _replace Misty."

"Pikapi…" he murmured with admiration and sparkling eyes. Truth to be told, Pikachu loved the other girls as well, but Misty had always been his favorite.

"And then all of my dreams came true that night. Well, Daisy helped a bit as she said she would, even though I didn't know about the whole plan. _I_ was her surprise." He smiled at the memory, recalling how it all had happened, how tender her lips were… Shaking his head like he had been thunderstruck by one of Pikachu's attacks, he then said, "I really should stop mulling on the matter, it's no good."

Just when Pikachu was starting to protest, the phone rang and Ash opened the door, dressing his white t-shirt and walking to the living room. He sat in front of the video phone and picked it up.

"Yes? Oh… Hi, mom! Yes, sure, I'll put on the video, wait a sec… Mom, I'm twenty! Of course I change my underwear!" The monitor lit up and Delia's face, beautiful as ever, appeared on the screen. Well, that was Ash's opinion: time seemed to stop for her.

"Hello, my dear boy!" She smiled warmly. "How are you?"

"Oh, I'm..." He recalled the brief seconds before the phone call and bit his lip, something that didn't go unnoticed by Delia,"… good. How are you mom?"

"I'm fine dear. You don't look well to me. What happened, sweetie?"

"It's nothing." He just couldn't tell her - he knew how much she cared about him and also about her. It just didn't seem right to him, even if he realized that hiding something from Delia Ketchum was almost impossible. But hey, hadn't he been able to do it for almost four years? Of course he was never at home, he just stopped there in her birthday, never staying for the party because he knew she would be there, and then he went away - but that was just a meaningless detail.

"Okay." She smiled. "Why don't you come here this weekend dear? We are throwing a party and I'd love if you could come. And of course bring Pikachu and… your girlfriend?"

Ash smiled until she mentioned the word "girlfriend".

Yes, he had had a girlfriend once in a while, but things never seemed to work out. No one seemed to be enough for him, to fulfill him, to make him forget about _her_. He had not loved them. He had liked them, but never really fell for any. It wasn't as if he hadn't tried! Contrarily, he tried, and tried, and tried, which made him even more frustrated. Ash always ended it after one, two months. The longest relationship had taken place two years ago, with one girl called Hilary. It had lasted six months and Pikachu had told Ash that it was because she resembled Misty. He had to admit that that was kind of true - her hair was only a shade darker than Misty's and longer, and it was straight rather than wavy like he remembered Misty's hair on her sixteenth birthday. But Hilary was not a good person, seeing as she tried to take advantage of his economic situation.

"Mom, I'm single." There, he had dropped the bomb. Not that this was the first time, anyway.

"Oh." Delia was not surprised anymore. She knew that it wouldn't last long and she also knew that it wasn't the thing bothering her son, since he was different for quite a long time. But she didn't want to upset him, so she just said, "You'll find her one day, dear."

_I already have, mom, I already have!_ Ash thought, frowning a bit.

"Don't worry about it. I'll tell Pikachu that we're heading to Pallet for the weekend then."

"That's great, honey! See you Friday night then?"

"Sure, mom. See ya."

"Don't forget to change-"

"Mom!"

"Right, you're a big boy. I love you."

"Love you too, mom."

The monitor turned black.

Ash felt something tugging on the back of his shirt, and looked down. It was Pikachu grabbing his shoulder in an attempt to climb onto it. When he finally succeeded, Ash shifted to look at his very first pokémon.

"Alright buddy, we're going home on Friday! How does it sound?"

"Pikachu!" he cried happily.

* * *

><p>The sun was shining brightly that afternoon. The waves crumbled into foam, the sand was white, hot and full of colorful shells here and there. A silent salty breeze passed by occasionally. For Ash and Pikachu, it couldn't be a better summer day. And the greatest thing was…<p>

"Isn't it a great day to be on the beach with no one to recognize you, pal?"

"Pi, Pikapi!"

"I'm going for a swim, do you wanna come?"

Pikachu shook his head and showed him a bottle of ketchup and a pair of sunglasses. Ash laughed and wondered where the little pokémon found those things since he couldn't have it in the hotel. He let him there in his blue towel though, under the yellow parasol, and eagerly made his way towards the ocean.

Ash plunged in. The water was at a perfect temperature. He dove deeper, finding some fish hiding behind rocks, some Sheldon and Goldeen as well. He swam further and further, always diving to find some water pokémon. Ash didn't notice how far away from the coast he was heading until he came up for some air and no swimmers could be seen around him anymore; he couldn't even see the sand.

"I choose you…!" he started but then he remembered his pokémon had stayed with Nurse Joy. "Great. What am I going to do now?"

He swam back to where he thought would be the way he had come from, but there were no signs of swimmers or sand. The sky was getting darker and the waves stronger.

_Calm down, Ash, no panic!_ he assured himself. Then he turned back as a big wave hit him on the face, taking him down to the water again. He shook his legs and arms as fast as he could to reach the surface, but as he inhaled, he was hit again. Ash tried it a couple of times more before coming up with, _Ok, now I can panic!_

He was trapped in the middle of the ocean, where a storm was clearly brewing, running out of air, with no clue as to where to go. How awesome was that?

He thought of all his pokémon; what would they do without him? He thought of his buddy, Pikachu, relaxed on the beach, enjoying that bottle of ketchup. His mind wandered to his mom at home, preparing a party he'd never show up to; his friends that would try in vain to find him. And then, when he was almost fainting, he saw her, like a beautiful mermaid. She was smiling and dancing with her Dewgong, surrounded by her water Pokémon. Giggling and swaying, she came closer, and looked into his eyes, whispering his name.

Misty, _his _Misty was his last thought, before he passed out in the middle of nowhere.

* * *

><p>Ash slowly woke up, several hours later, without opening his eyes. Everything in his body hurt terribly. He opened his eyes heavily and saw a clean sky full of stars. No one would say that the sea had been so angry hours ago. His first thought was her again. How would she feel if she knew? Did she even care anymore? Was she sleeping alone? <em>God, I have nothing to do with that!<em> he admonished himself, flushed.

When he controlled his emotions the best he could, he finally took notice of the rocky surface under his back and legs. He also felt like he was moving. Then he heard a happy cry above him and turned to face some grey sparkling eyes.

"Lapras, is that you?" The pokémon emitted another happy sound, nodding, and rubbed her head against his. "Thanks for saving me!" Lapras smiled and continued rubbing as Ash held her head.

"Where are we going?" Ash asked, releasing her from his hug. Lapras pointed her head forward and Ash saw the coast, with little swimmers around, no people on the beach really, and there was this little yellow spot pacing around anxiously.

"Alright Lapras, full speed now!" Ash grinned, thinking back to the old times, when he had traveled around the Orange Islands in the company of Tracey and… and Misty.

He shook his head, feeling the blue mood return, and tried his best to not let it show.

They reached the beach quickly and Ash took a distressed Pikachu in his arms.

"It's okay. I'm fine now."

"Pikapi…" the thunder type sighed in relief.

"Lapras, thanks once again." Ash came closer to his old friend and caressed her in the head. "Hope to see you again soon."

Lapras eyes started to water as she came closer to her trainer, holding him with her neck, moaning sadly. Ash grimaced a bit. "I'll miss you too, but I know you have to go." Lapras freed him from the hug and caught what appeared to be a blue shell. Then she mentally said to Ash, _If you ever need my help, just blow into it and I'll come to you._

"Thank you!" Ash said in surprise. Just when had Lapras learned to use telepathy?

A few moments later, Pikachu and Ash would be waving at Lapras until they could not see her anymore, hoping they could see her soon.

"C'mon Pikachu, let's get a shower and go straight to bed!" Ash spoke up, after cleaning the tears in the corners of his eyes with the back of his hand.

"Pi Pikapi!"

* * *

><p>"Goodnight, buddy," Ash whispered to his already asleep friend, all curled up next to him. He covered himself with the white blankets and shortly after closing his eyes, he fell into a deep sleep. That day had indeed tired him.<p>

He dreamed of her that night.

"_Misty!"_

_Ash was running after her. She had her back turned to him and Ash seemed to never reach her. It was quite frustrating. _

_The sweat covered his forehead and his legs were hurting from the effort to get to her. She was dressed in the same clothes she wore in her birthday - a ghost of four years ago, the last good memory he had of her. But not the last time he had seen her. No. Misty's popularity had grown over the years, and it wasn't surprising anymore to find the Cerulean Gym Leader in magazines and giving some interviews now and then. He read them all, watched them all, even if it wouldn't make anything better. Contrarily, it made it even worse, because every time one of his now ex-girlfriends found him reading or watching something about her, they'd do such a fuss over it; and, of course, it didn't help him forget her, it only made him want to take the phone, call a taxi and go talk to her._

_That and, of course, all the times that a new guy was around. Ash wasn't really one that could handle jealousy very well, and so, he would most likely be moody for the rest of the day, if not week, and rudely tell everyone to piss off. Not to mention the damage it made to his poor heart._

_But back to the dream - he kept running until his lungs were almost exploding. As he felt his legs trembling and threatening to break apart, he tried to call her again._

"_Misty, please!"_

_She turned to him. Her face was hidden by the shadows of her bangs. Ash was kind of scared now. Even if he knew her for years, that face always had that effect on him._

"_Go. Away."_

_His heart skipped a beat. All of his fears were there, in her, in what she might say or do that would break him like glass._

"_Mist…"_

"_Go away. I don't have time for you!"_

_Then some guy came, held her by the waist and kissed her lips roughly. Ash thought his heart had stopped for good._

"_No… No, Misty!" he half-cried, half-begged._

_She gazed at him, her eyes full of hatred. _

_That was the last he saw._

"Misty!" Ash yelped, sitting up straight in the blink of an eye, panting and feeling incredibly sweaty. What a stupid nightmare.

He snapped his eyes shut for a moment, massaging his eyelids with his fingertips, and inwardly comforting himself. _It was just a nightmare… Just a bloody nightmare…_

"Pikapi?" asked a sleepy Pikachu. He yawned and came closer to Ash, seeing his trainer rocking himself back and forth, his eyes, dazed, lost in some spot of the room. "Pi pika pikachu, pika , Pikapi?"

"It was just a nightmare, Pikachu, a really bad one," he breathed out. "Go back to sleep, buddy. Tomorrow we're heading to Pallet and we still have to pack."

"Chu!" He shook his head and jumped into Ash's lap, snuggling against his chest.

"Don't worry about me. Just sleep, I'll do the same," he assured with a warm smile.

Pikachu didn't like the idea very much, but was too tired to argue, and about two minutes later, he was sleeping just like before, like nothing bad had happened. On the other hand, Ash couldn't sleep because of the nightmare - he was too agitated. So he just stood up and made his way to the balcony, opening the window, trying to not wake Pikachu.

Once he was outside, Ash sat down on the wooden chair, feeling the night's peace. The sky was dark but full of stars and zero clouds. The sea sounds came to him, whispering a lullaby he knew for so long, a lullaby that in times sang for two people instead of one. The breeze was salty as usual, and warm, very warm and cozy, like any other summer night would be. There was a giant, silver full moon up in the sky, smiling to him. That was enough to make his heart quiet for a while.

Enjoying the sounds of the night reminded him of Misty, who loved the sea so much, be it day or night. Now he understood why and admitted she was completely right. There was nothing like that.

A flashback came to his mind and he didn't fight it. He knew, for a while now, that it was hopeless to stop what your heart has to say. If you don't let it say it, later it would scream it. So Ash just remembered.

"_Isn't it a beautiful night?" she asked while smiling to the gleaming sky._

_Ash looked at her, amused with the way she seemed to glow in the night, more than the stars that that night were glittering as bright as ever. He was only fourteen, so he wasn't familiar with those feelings, neither with the shivers, the Butterfree in his stomach or the tingle he got every time they touched._

_Pikachu, Brock and Togepi were sleeping fondly a bit far from them. The fire was still burning a bit, a faint memory of their dinner floating in the air, the giggles and shared jokes lingering around it._

_Ash had woken up in the middle of the night, and noticing that she wasn't in her sleeping bag, he had searched for her, only to find her near the lake they were currently camping next to. She was deeply lost in her thoughts, and when he asked her why she was there, she had just said, "I couldn't sleep." And so, he had sat next to her, and together they watched the sky._

_Ash smiled to himself, still staring at her. Misty didn't seem to be aware of his gaze, she was too far away, in her dreamland, where her prince would come, and taking her by the hand, he'd show her how she's unique and perfect. When Ash thought of that, a strange wave of repulse ran through his body. What was it? Again? It only seemed to happen when he pictured or saw Misty with another guy… Weird…_

_He stood up in less than a second with an upset face, startling Misty from her princess dreams._

"_Ash, is there something wrong?" she asked worriedly._

_He turned to her again and tried to make a sentence that made sense "Yeah! Um… Misty? Do you…? Err… I mean…"_

_The girl beside him furrowed her brows quizzically. "Yes? Ash, are you sure you're okay?" She stood up and got closer._

"_No," he quickly answered. "I mean, yes!" She looked at him suspiciously. He blushed vigorously when his eyes met hers. "When will you leave me-us?" he corrected hastily._

"_Who said I was going to leave?" Misty's expression softened. "Ash, are you afraid of me leaving?"_

_Ash's flush grew redder and he mumbled, "Of-of course I'm not! I was just wondering"._

_Those words made Misty catch her pride and say, "Well, then yes, I'll leave as soon as I get my bike!"_

_Ash's heart raced and he got annoyed with her answer matching his expectations. "Great! Then I'll make double effort to give it to you, so then you can leave with your prince!" he shouted and Misty's jaw fell._

"_What?" she whispered incredulously. "What prince? What are you talking about?"_

"_It doesn't matter."_

"_It does matter to me, Ash."_

"_Does not."_

"_Does too."_

"_Why don't you just leave with him?"_

"_Well, maybe because I already am with him!" she shot back and then gasped in surprise, blushing hard and covering her mouth._

"_Is that Brock?" Ash's eyes widened._

"_Oh, you're such a moron!"_

"_Fine!"_

"_Fine!"_

"_Hump!" They both said, turning their backs to each other and walking in opposite directions._

"_Pikapi!"_

_Ash heard his pokémon call him and turned around, watching his little form run to him. The trainer bowed for Pikachu to climb up his right arm and then met his inquiring gaze._

"_I didn't want to fight. It came out all wrong!" he justified himself. Was he just defending his position to a pokémon? Truth to be told, Pikachu was not any pokémon - he was his best friend, but still…_

_Pikachu made a confused face, and gave him a glare that clearly said, "Then don't start it." With that, Ash went back to his sleep bag, not falling asleep until he verified Misty was in hers as well._

Ash sighed. _I don't know what to do. She's always on my mind._ He looked up to the sky trying to find some answers. But they didn't come. It was useless. He could do nothing about his situation. And then, he was the one that had left four years ago… He never confronted her. Because it would be too complicated… And… and he needed to train to become a Pokémon Master.

Sure, he was famous now, rich too, but not a Pokémon Master. He was always "almost there", always "second best"; there was always something missing. He knew what it was, because, well… what's the fun in doing your journey by yourself, if you don't have anyone there to congratulate you when you win? To root for you? To make you snap back to reality when you lose? To cry with, to laugh with, to argue with?

He considered asking his mother for advice. But knowing Delia, she would probably urge him to go talk to Misty and solve everything… But he wasn't sure if he wanted to. How _would _he anyway, when he had no clue about what made her so upset to run away like that? His guess went for the kiss, but she had somewhat returned it, or was it just his imagination?

Arceus, all this thinking was tiring him out. Ash sighed, and agreed that speaking with his mother would probably be for the best; after all, she always offered him some great advice. Besides, he probably would have to face Misty at this party, so why waiting for the inevitable?

With this last thought, Ash Ketchum stood up, glancing one last time at the sky, and taking in a deep breath. He made his way to the bed, carefully lying down to not wake Pikachu. He was so tired he fell asleep almost instantly and, as usual, she was his last thought.

* * *

><p><strong>The end of chapter 2!<strong>

_Love&Music_ for you all,

_C'sMelody_


	3. When Silence Speaks Volumes

**After uploading 12****th**** chapter, I thought I needed to rebuild this one. So, here it goes - improved. Flawless? Never. I encourage you to review if you want this to look even better! ;)**

**For this chapter I chose:**

- "**The Great Pretender" - Freddie Mercury**

- "**I Dreamed a Dream" from the musical "Les Misérables" (the version of Ruthie Henshall is, in my opinion, the best) **

- "**Hurt" - Christina Aguilera.**

* * *

><p><strong>When Silence Speaks Volumes<strong>

Ash and Pikachu were in the plane on their way to Pallet. Pikachu was in deep sleep because they had gotten up very early that morning to catch their flight. On the other hand, Ash could not sleep, not even close his eyes to relax a bit. Every time he did, he was taken to another place and he felt like kicking himself for that. _I'm going crazy, _Ash thought, running a hand over his face. He knew very well that his mom would probably invite lots and lots of people to the party - _including her_, he mentally added.

He felt divided - he didn't know what to do or think. Of course he wanted to go to a party his mother was organizing and… and seeing her after so long would be everything he could wish for - or maybe not. Ash knew that it had been four years, and although his heart told him it was not true, he could not avoid the possibility that another person might have come into her life. He could not erase the past, hide it or let it alone. That was his curse, one he had been holding onto for a long time.

But even in all his pain, deep inside, he just wished Misty was okay, not suffering. _Why would she? She's the strongest girl I've ever known. And besides, she never told me she loved me, did she?_ Ash sighed faintly. He felt useless. _Is this ever going to stop? Will _she _make it stop?_ These were some of the many questions his head was dealing with, still not finding the answers to calm his shaking soul.

* * *

><p>Delia Ketchum was peacefully making lunch while humming a familiar tune. Mr. Mime, right next to her, was extremely focused on her hands, trying to learn a new recipe from his master.<p>

"…so, now you add this and wait a few minutes and _voilà_" she finished with a giggle, cleaning her hands in the apron. "Understood?"

"Mime!"

"Great!" she exclaimed cheerfully, petting it. Delia turned her attention to the clock. It was almost lunch time. "Ash should be arriving very soon," she supposed happily. She hadn't seen her baby boy for a while, and she was _so _excited he was coming to the party she was throwing.

Honestly speaking, this party was partially an excuse to having Ash drop by. Twice a year was never enough - especially considering how her birthday was so close to Christmas. Besides, she had something under her sleeve.

* * *

><p>Outside the house, four feet were walking in its direction at a fast and enthusiastic pace. Ash had grown ten years since the day he had left his home to pursue his dream, but the boy was still inside him, ready to emerge at any moment. Both trainer and pokémon ran crazily to the door, the sense of home hitting them in a pleasantly violent way. They punched the door repeatedly when they reached it.<p>

"I'm coming!" Delia shouted from inside the kitchen and rushed to open the door with a huge smile.

She was a bit startled when she first opened the door. There he was, her beloved son - taller than her, with chocolate brown not-so-sparkling eyes, tanned skin, spiky hair and, to her surprise, a really well-built body. She always thought her boy was handsome, but now she understood why he was so famous among the girls.

_He looks so much like you, honey_, she thought.

"Hey, mom!" he greeted with a grin.

"Oh, Ash, my boy!" She ran to his open arms and held him in an excruciating bear hug. "You've grown so much, just look at you!" she exclaimed, pulling out of the hug.

"Yeah, guess I have. You look great too, mom, as always," he replied, smiling down at her.

"Pikachu!" the rodent exclaimed, claiming for attention.

"Hello, Pikachu," Delia said, scratching under his chin, receiving a content "cha" as an answer.

"Why don't you two come inside and tell me all the news?" she suggested.

They walked inside the house and seated on the couch. Ash took in his surroundings, feeling the sense of home hit him again. It had been _too long _since he had last stepped foot here. Well, it was always too long, anyway. The trainer let his bag rest on the couch beside him, leaning back in a comfortable position.

"Well, what do you want to know?" he asked.

"Everything!" Delia said blissfully.

So, Ash told her everything significant enough for his memory to remember. He described mostly the battles enthusiastically and Delia heard him, attentive as always. He avoided the whole Misty part and pretended to be as good as ever, though a little annoying voice in his head told him that this was his mother and that she knew more than she appeared to. He continued telling his and Pikachu's adventures all around the world until the oven's alarm rang, stating that lunch was ready.

After practically devouring it as a famished ogre, Ash felt like going out for a stroll to visit his old friends and pokémon at Professor Oak's lab. Pikachu, who was still tired, opted for staying at the house with Delia relaxing. Waving and smiling, he left the house and walked to the lab.

Pacing slowly, he thought of how he pretended to be okay for the last four years. He was okay, but not as much as he tried to show. He felt hollow and emotionless. He even missed the fights with her for Mew's sake!

_Seriously, that's suicidal. Brock'd say I'm mental._

_I'm the great pretender_

_Pretending I'm doing well_

_My need is such, I pretend too much_

_I'm lonely but no one can tell_

Ash entered the lab and was greeted by Professor Oak and Tracey, who were not surprised to see him, since his mother had already told them he would come to the party. Just like he had expected, it wasn't going to be a small party.

The trainer asked to see his pokémon and left to the exterior with the Professor. When he saw all of them his lips moved to form a joyful childish smile he used to have.

After being glomped down to the ground by most of his companions - Muk setting apart by pouncing Professor Oak instead - and spending some quality time with them, Ash took off. There was a place he needed to go, though he wasn't sure as to what exactly was driving him.

When he left, however, the feeling of emptiness came again, almost overwhelming him.

_Adrift in a world of my own_

_I play the game, but to my real shame_

_You've left me to dream all alone_

_Too real is this feeling of make believe_

_Too real when I feel what my heart can't conceal_

Without taking notice of where he was going, being his usual reckless self, Ash followed the path he had trailed in his childhood, stopping only to smile at someone he knew or having a small frivolous chat, like, for example, "How have you been?" and, "I haven't seen you for a while!". He did what he had to, just answering what people expected to hear, because they didn't really care if he was suffering or dying inside, they just wanted a simple, "I'm fine and you?"

_Just laughing and gay like a clown_

_I seem to be what I'm not, you see_

_I'm wearing my heart like a crown_

_Pretending that you're still around_

When all his abilities of pretending vanished in thin air and he couldn't hold a somewhat believable smile on his lips, he entered the woods and unconsciously seeked one of his favorite places. Emotionally speaking, Ash felt like screaming out of too many lies and fake smiles going on for the past four years. He was _exhausted_ of that.

* * *

><p>Misty was in the closest lake to Cerulean. She rarely had enough time to stop there, but since it was Friday and the gym had closed earlier because she had taken ten battles (losing only once to a confident pink haired girl with big grey eyes) and her pokémon were exhausted to keep fighting, she decided to close it earlier and bring only her Horsea with her.<p>

"Horsea!" the seahorse cried in a happy and relieved tone.

"It feels good, huh?"Misty asked with a smile.

"Sea, sea!"

Misty chuckled lightly and then warned her pokémon to not swim too far from her. Horsea nodded and swam for what seemed to be a reasonable distance for Misty. Sighing in a relaxed fashion, she took off her clothes and adjusted her turquoise bikini on her shoulders. She looked around, stretching and scanning the forest.

She was surrounded by flowers, flowers and more flowers: daisies, violets, lilies, roses, tulips, cherry blossoms, carnations, daffodils and others. She loved that place for that, it was always so alive in spring and summer, as if Nature really breathed there. She could almost feel its heartbeat.

Then, she slowly walked into the water. The first contact made her slightly recoil due to the difference in temperature, but then she got used to it. Diving, she dissolved all of her concerns in the water. There were a lot of plants and fish below. Horsea, seeing Misty, approached her, dancing in circles around the girl.

They kept swimming for an hour or so.

She couldn't keep all her problems under the water for much longer, she was aware of that. However, she didn't want to feel that again, that growing pain that seemed to consume her heart and soul. And the worst part was that it didn't seem to get any better. On the contrary, it appeared to get more and more difficult every day.

Misty reluctantly remembered the brief kiss on the lips she almost didn't taste four years ago and flushed a cute pink. It seemed so truthful back there; meaningful, honest, full of unspoken promises and whispered desires. It seemed unafraid.

_I dreamed a dream in time gone by,_

_I dreamed that love would never die,_

_Then I was young and unafraid,_

_When dreams were made and used and wasted_

But then again, something felt wrong when he didn't call or send a message after those events. Back then, she had presumed it to be out of embarrassment, or maybe he actually wanted to man up and straightforwardly talk it through.

Nonetheless, something to add to that was Delia's party. It was rumored Ash Ketchum would come to help his mother with it. Right when she had already accepted the invitation!

_But the tigers come at night_

_With their voices soft as thunder_

_As they tear your hope apart_

_As they turn your dream to shame_

The bittersweet memory of him was still persistent in staying with her, living with her, as if he had never left. That thought could be an interesting one if Misty had a thing for psychological analysis, which she hadn't.

Couldn't she just give Delia a call and say she couldn't make it to the party? She could excuse herself with some sort of an indisposition, like food poisoning, a migraine or whatever.

_He slept a summer by my side_

_He filled my days with endless wonder_

_He took my childhood in his stride_

_But he was gone when autumn came_

However, deep inside her heart, she just wished, just dreamed he would come back for her. She was almost desperate for it, she couldn't think of anything else. But also deep inside, she knew that wasn't happening.

After four years of not showing up at her doorstep, she couldn't see how this could be any different. Besides, and maybe on an extremely pessimistic way, she had to consider the possibility of Ash bringing _someone_ to the party. Just the thought alone made her cringe.

_And still I dream he'll come to me_

_And we will live the years together_

_But there are dreams that can not be_

_And there are storms we can not weather_

_I had a dream my life would be_

_So different from this hell I'm living_

_So different now from what it seemed_

_Now life has killed the dream I dreamed_

Misty allowed a single tear to roll down her cheek and, falling into the lake and mixing with it, the tear disappeared as quickly as it had formed.

She never showed her weakness to anyone, but she had no one to convince when she was alone. Besides, she knew her pokémon were conscious about her longtime heartache.

"Horsea?" it asked in a coy whisper.

"It's nothing, Horsea, I'm fine," she stated, cleaning the tear with her wrist.

"Horsea, sea!"

"I just don't know what to do…" she whined. "I thought I could, but I can't… I thought I knew… I thought I knew how to cure this… but… I don't…"

The blue seahorse approached Misty and rested its head on her leg with a sympathetic expression.

"Thank you," Misty whispered before sitting down.

The sun was starting to set, creating a breathtakingly beautiful pallet of warm colors in the sky, and, as they reflected on the water, Misty wondered what that moron was doing right that moment.

* * *

><p>Ash finally arrived to the place his heart was seeking - the closest lake to Cerulean. Thinking he was alone, he stretched, took a deep breath and looked around. The trees had grown so much since the last time he had gone there. The path through the woods was nearly unrecognizable, even if the person knew it well and for years. What he wasn't expecting was to be surprised with such a view.<p>

When he saw her, a wave of unbelief rushed into all of him. It couldn't be her. But, well, who else had blue-green eyes, long orange hair waving on her back until the middle of it, peachy skin and a Horsea besides Misty?

The memories came abruptly back to him.

_Seems like it was yesterday when I saw your face_

Ash regretted the past so much. Especially now, watching her play in the water with her pokémon - the same pokémon they had met all those years ago, when she had so, so bravely confronted that giant Tentacruel and prevented the destruction of Hutber Port, and, at the same time, screamed her lungs out at Nastina for being so reckless.

She hadn't felt his presence yet.

_If only I knew what I know today_

Misty felt observed. That was a silly thought, wasn't it? She had not heard anything besides the sound Horsea's and her own splashing was making. The gym leader ignored it, observing her pokémon emerging from the lake.

The sensation didn't ebb away, though. She glanced over her shoulder, expecting to see everything but that. Her muscles tensed up. There he was, four years later - taller, handsome, muscular, in the same kind of clothes and more of a man than a boy she used to know. They locked eyes. None moved.

_I would hold you in my arms,_

_I would take the pain away_

_Thank for all you've done,_

_Forgive all your mistakes_

Somehow, it seemed the world had just stopped. Could it stop because of a stare? We'll never know, but if it _had _to, this would be the one to stop it.

Panic struck Misty violently. This situation proved to be most inconvenient. What to say, what to do? Her memories danced before her eyes in the form of provoking ghosts.

She wasn't ready for this encounter.

_There's nothing I wouldn't do_

_To hear your voice again_

_Sometimes I wanna call you,_

_But I know you won't be there_

She stood up in a flash, still staring intently at Ash. He tentatively walked towards her, trying to bottle up his emotions, and find the correct words to say. He didn't want to scare her away.

He wasn't ready for this encounter.

"Hey…" In his head that sounded much better. Why weren't his vocal chords complying?

Misty returned Horsea without taking her eyes off him. She considered her possibilities: running or staying? Her body didn't seem capable of any brisk movements now - her knees felt like jelly, her legs were overall weak, her head was spinning from confusion and conflicting emotions and, somehow, it felt hard to breathe. So, the decision was made on its own.

_Some days I feel broke inside but I won't admit_

_Sometimes I just wanna hide 'cause it's you I miss_

_And it's so hard to say goodbye when it comes to this_

Ash blushed - he had finally noticed she was only wearing a bikini. He halted. She looked positively breathtaking. If he stepped any closer, he might not be able to withdraw his instincts. His jaw tightened. His hands clenched.

Misty felt his change in attitude. He looked tense, and somewhat tired. Any semblance with his former childish self had vanished for the moment. Seeing him there now made a bunch of new, different questions to emerge.

_Would you tell me I was wrong?_

_Would you help me understand?_

_Are you looking down upon me?_

_Are you proud of who I am?_

Misty couldn't explain it, but suddenly, surely due to seeing him there, she began to question everything that had happened all those years ago. After all, she didn't stay put to hear what he had to say. _But he didn't have anything to explain, did he?_

_I'm sorry for blaming you,_

_For everything I just couldn't do_

_And I've hurt myself…_

How he wished to get back in time and get the chance to do what he should have done: _insist._ Not being a coward and fear the rejection, which was the only granted thing he had. Ash had never given up on anything before, she always made him try again, push harder. Since she had left his life, everything changed. He didn't confine to missing her presence, a piece of him was gone and he couldn't manage to find it. He was complete, of course, he had friends and family, pokémon, his life; but he was just another complete person with nothing special. _She _was his difference, the one that made him stand off the crowd.

_If I had just one more day_

_I would tell you how much that I've missed you _

_Since you've been away_

_It's so out of line_

_To try and turn back time_

Misty tried to speak, to say something, _anything _that would put an end to such awkwardness, but, apparently, her tongue was prisoner of her mouth. A shiver ran up her spine when he came two feet closer. _Step back!_ she inwardly shouted.

In some kind of weird-telepathic way, Ash must have understood that message, because he stopped. _What the hell am I even doing? I'm messing everything up!_ Ash's mind scolded him.

"Hi," she managed, surprising the both of them.

Ash mused over what to say next. Well, that's the irony of conversation - depending on who's standing before you, the exchange will either be easy and pleasant or the total opposite. Ash couldn't really classify this 'conversation'.

"So…" he hesitated. "So, how's it going with the gym?"

_Killing me. I just want to run away from everything. I want to see the world._

"Oh, it's… huh, fine," she lied. "How's your journey?"

_Empty. Meaningless. I'd love it if you'd join me again._

"Great," he replied curtly. _Are you still mad at me?_ "I bet you're scaring the new trainers with that Gyarados of yours." Ash offered her a smile.

Misty let out a small chuckle. "I barely use him in battle. I have to take Gyarados to the sea often, so he can lash out a bit."

They fell quiet for a moment.

_Wait, what am I doing? Get a grip, girl!_

"Do you mind if get in?" Ash asked. He was already in the middle of removing his black t-shirt.

"S-sure," Misty stammered, her face blazing up. "As a matter of fact, I was actually leaving."

"So soon?" he sounded disappointed. The trainer closed some more distance between them.

Misty merely nodded, not trusting her voice. When had Ash grown from the skinny ten year-old boy into such a muscular young adult? This couldn't be real. She felt the urge to touch him -her fingertips were tingly, inciting her to reach her hand forward. That's all it would take.

_Remember what he did!_

Quickly, in a desperate attempt to keep her hands occupied with anything besides Ash, she bended down and picked up her towel, covering herself with it. Then Misty gathered her clothes, unceremoniously shoving them inside her bag. She put her yellow flip-flops on.

Ash watched her attentively, it slowly downing on him that she was, in fact, leaving. He reached forward and gently grabbed her forearm. Her eyes widened. He searched for something to say.

Nothing came out.

She detached herself from his grip, turning around and running away from him.

Ash watched her until she disappeared into the woods. He groaned and took off his pants, throwing himself into the water. He had just lost another change. _Seriously, "do you mind if I get in" was the best I could do?_

* * *

><p>Misty stepped into the gym abruptly, shutting the door behind her and falling on her knees, with her hands in her head. Unbelief was spread all over her face.<p>

Her pokémon had been playing inside the pool when she entered, and they halted their activities to worriedly look at her.

"What in the name of Mew just happened?" she silently asked herself. Azumarill approached the gym leader, softly rubbing her paws along her legs. Misty gave her a grateful smile. "I'm okay," she whispered, petting it.

* * *

><p>Delia was waiting for him to come home, and even though he was twenty, she would still worry - that's a mother's job, right? It was past 10p.m. and no sign of Ash. She had cleaned and washed his dish in order to keep herself distracted. Mr. Mime was singing while mopping the floor, but, by out the corner of his eyes, he noticed that his trainer was mulling over something.<p>

"Mime?"

"Oh, it's nothing," Delia said. However, by the knowing look Mr. Mime gave her, she knew he didn't believe her. "I'm just worried about Ash."

"Mime, Mr. Mime!" he replied confidently.

"Yes, you're right. He will be back soon!" She grinned.

After everything was done and clean in the kitchen, they went to the living room and turned on the TV - news, pokémon battles, more news, singing contest, soap operas… wait, singing contest?

"What do you think, Mr. Mime?" She giggled.

"Mime!" he nodded.

A few moments then, Ash stepped into the house. He had a neutral, emotionless look on his face and Delia noticed it immediately.

"Ash?"

"Mom, I'm just going to bed now. Tomorrow I'll help you with the party, okay?" he said in a rush. He didn't wait for the answer and kissed her forehead, running up the stairs to his room immediately afterwards.

When he arrived, he closed the door quietly and, carefully as to not wake Pikachu, he swiftly took off his clothes, throwing them to the floor, and lied down next to him.

"Pikapi?" asked the rodent in a sleepy voice.

"That's me, buddy. Now, back to sleep!"Ash whispered, as he gently carressed his pokémon's fur.

Pikachu didn't even reply to that, just obeying and snoozing off into a peaceful slumber.

Some minutes later, Ash was still staring at the ceiling of his bedroom, trying to somehow take in everything that had happened that day. Her face kept appearing before his eyes, even when he closed them, there was just not helping it.

_What now?_

* * *

><p><strong>Yes, I know that some of the lyrics were missing. That was on purpose. Some of them don't fit here. Sorry if this one has too many songs.<strong>

**Don't forget to tell me what you think! After all, it's for you that I write :)**

_Love&Music_ for you all,

_C'sMelody_


	4. The Perks of Not Being a Lady

**Hey! **

**I've finally edited this one!**

**May - 18**

**Dawn - 17**

**Max - 14**

**Music:**

** - The first one is special, and you'll find it in the middle of the story;**

- "**Love hurts", by Nazareth;**

- "**Dancing in the Dark", by Bruce Springsteen (or 'The Boss', whichever you prefer ;) ).**

* * *

><p><strong>The Perks of Not Being a Lady<strong>

Daisy arrived that morning at the gym looking like a tourist - wearing jean shorts, a t-shirt, sandals and sunglasses. There was a broad smile on her lips, her hair was caught back in a ponytail, and her tan would make most celebrities jealous.

To say Misty was surprised was an understatement. Nonetheless, after the shock had vanished, the sisters hugged for a while and Misty helped Daisy carry her belongings inside. After sorting everything in place and unwrapping a couple of souvenirs brought from France and Spain, the siblings went down the stairs to make some breakfast.

Misty had eagerly asked many questions about all the countries her three sisters had been to, revealing a keen and special interest in France. The duo laughed at some of the blonde's stories, and two hours passed before Misty allowed Daisy to be the one asking.

"So, how's it going?"

"Oh, the gym's going pretty well!" Misty replied. "How are Lily and Violet? Mew knows they must be lost without you!" she snickered.

Daisy giggled. _That was not what I meant, sis._ "Henry is quite the manager, I'm sure they're in good hands."

"That's if they don't try to jump him when you're not around," Misty offered with a wink.

They laughed some more. "I don't think my presence would make a difference," Daisy replied, watching Misty's expression turning to one of pure amusement. "Before you ask, Henry is totally professional, so, no worries." Misty grinned. "But you didn't answer my question - how are _you_?"

"Oh, good, thanks," Misty said, the force of habit practically controlling her gestures, consisting of not eyeing her sister, contract her body in the chair and join her palms in a nervous fashion. Something changed in her features too - she seemed to be mulling over something. Daisy could only guess what.

_Stubborn,_ the eldest thought.

"So," Misty started, letting out a repressed sigh. "Why are you here? Tired of touring around Europe?"

"What? Can't I, like, pay a visit to my little sis' since she's all alone in this huge gym?" Daisy inquired sarcastically, motioning with wide arms to the space around her.

"Of course you can!" Misty exclaimed, half laughing at her sister's antics. "I didn't expect you, though, nor Lily or Violet, for that matter."

"Well, but I am here." Daisy winked. "So, you' going to Mrs. Ketchum party?"

_Perfect timing, Daisy, _Misty thought ironically.

"I don't know yet…" She lowered her head to her plate, playing with her pancakes' scarce remains.

"My, my, I wonder what could make you skip a party," Daisy said suggestively.

Misty blushed, knowing all too well what her sister was implying. "Well, that's-!" Her head jerked upwards, her leftovers ignored. "Wait! How do you know about the party?" Misty asked with surprise in her voice.

"Mrs. Ketchum invited me."

"Wait, she invited _you_?"

"Why so surprised?"

"I didn't know you two got along, that's all." Misty shrugged.

_Maybe_ _I shouldn't have said that, _Daisy thought, sweatdropping.

"Are you going?"

"Only if you tag along," Daisy replied, winking once more.

Misty sighed again, letting the stress from all the years show for a fraction of a second. Daisy, obviously, knew what the matter was, and she could almost touch the mask her sister had worn over the years - the fake smiles, the fake, "I'm good, and you?", the excuses and the avoiding-a-certain-topic-involving-a-certain-someone.

Just as it had appeared, it disappeared, leaving no trace of instability, making it hard to catch a glimpse of anxiety - Misty was in control again. The redhead rose to her feet, took the dishes in one hand and gingerly said, "You must be tired, go get some rest. The party only starts at seven."

Daisy stood up, quietly leaving Misty with her thoughts. There was no use for her to do something now. Well, at least not now _now, _the after _now_ would surely be a different situation. She had some things to take care of.

"_Ah! This is life!" Lily exclaimed in bliss, putting her arms underneath her head and enjoying every minute of sunbathe she could._

_The three Sensational Sisters were staying at a five star hotel her manager had booked for them in Portugal. They never thought their tours would go so far, especially to an internacional level, but there they were - right in the occidental extreme of the old continent._

_The siblings were on the beach relaxing, surrounded by men, as usual, when Daisy got the call from Delia. She ran back to the hotel so they could talk more privately._

"_Hello, Mrs. Ketchum, can I do something for you?"_

Daisy, _Delia said in a worried voice. She instantly knew what this was about. _Do you remember what happened four years ago?

_Daisy sighed. Of course she did. Taking the concern in Delia's voice into account it could only mean it had something to do with the two most stubborn people she had ever met. _

_She and Delia were the only ones who were aware of the incident (besides Misty and Ash, of course). Daisy had watched them dancing and the brief kiss they had shared; Delia had seen the other scene at her birthday. Daisy didn't know what had happened with her youngest sister, and because she was terribly worried, she went asking Delia for advice. Then everything had come out and both of them had tried to arrange some situations for the two to talk about it face to face. But instead of helping, it had made everything worse, since Ash left sooner than expected and Misty closed herself, acting as if nothing had happened. None of them had been the same again._

"_A party? Yes, I understand. Sure, I'll leave right away." The blonde looked at the clock. "I should arrive tomorrow morning if I leave in an hour or so." She moved around her room anxiously, picking some clothes of the wardrobe and throwing them onto the bed. "Okay, I'll call you back when I arrive at the gym and see how she is. Bye." She hung up._

**(A.N.: the difference of the time zone between Japan and Portugal is 8 hours. So, if Delia called around 5 p.m., in Portugal it was 9 a.m. of the same day. The travel time is around 14-15 hours, so, if Daisy left at 11 a.m., 7 p.m. in Japan, she should arrive around 9-10 a.m.)**

_Daisy quickly dialed her manager's number. At first he wasn't very pleased with the idea, but when she told him it would be just for the weekend and it was most urgent she left right away, he agreed, since they had no more shows until Monday night. Henry also told her he would book a plane ticket for her and that he would pick her in half an hour. _

_After finishing packing, she called her sisters to tell them her decision and that she would explain later, since she was being shot with lots of questions. She then changed into some comfortable clothes for the flight._

That reminded her that she had a call to make. She halted beside the pool, sitting beside it. The pokémon were probably all still inside the aquarium. Daisy searched her pockets and found her cell phone. She dialed the memorized numbers and waited for Delia to pick up.

_Ketchum's residence,_ a female voice announced.

"Mrs. Ketchum, it's Daisy here."

_Oh, Daisy! How was your flight? I'm so sorry for asking this much of you!_

"It was good, thanks." The eldest Sensational Sister smiled warmly. "Don't worry, I'm doing this for Misty. Tell me, have they met yet?" Things had changed so much in the last ten years; she hoped her improved relationship with her sister would help fulfill this 'project'.

_I'm afraid so. Yesterday Ash arrived home with a particular look on his face._

"How so?" Daisy asked, believing she already knew the answer.

_Well, a very special one._

"Oh, so do you think that-"

_I think they met, but nothing happened._

"Misty gave me that impression this morning as well," she mused. "Oh, they're so stubborn!" Daisy cried in exasperation. Delia made an agreeing sound from the other side of the line. "Um, I think I'm having an idea!"

_Really, what is it?_

* * *

><p>"Misty, get out of there!" Daisy demanded, kicking the door with her fists. "You're being ridiculous! It's just a bloody party!"<p>

"Damn it, Daisy! I'm not coming like this!" Misty shot back.

Daisy sighed. They had been fighting over this for the last hour. She had made Misty try on about ten different dresses and Misty had always retorted that she didn't like them or that they didn't look good on her, which was not true in Daisy's opinion - her youngest sister looked like a princess in any of them. That was the problem - Misty never really dressed like one.

"Can't I just put some shorts and shirt on?" she asked, almost hopefully.

"No way! I haven't put on this red dress for nothing!" Daisy protested.

She was not dressing for a ball, mind you - just a simple red dress of knee length and golden sandals. And she was trying desperately for Misty to do the same. The way she saw it, Misty was overreacting and Daisy knew it wasn't just because of the dress; her little sister didn't really want to go because of Ash.

"Where is the Misty that I used to know? How many chances will you have to understand and to be with him?"

"I don't know what you're talking about," Misty grumbled from the other side of the door.

"Alright, I'm coming in!" she yelled before storming into the room. She beamed when she took a look at Misty.

"Don't laugh!" the redhead cried, ashamed, not facing her elder sister.

"Oh, you look like an angel!" Daisy exclaimed with sparkling eyes.

Misty turned herself to the mirror, blushing because of the compliment. She was wearing a simple, but beautiful aquamarine dress of knee length with just one handle that matched her eyes and silver sandals. She also had some jewelry: two small earrings and a tiny necklace. Both of them were silver and a present from her three sisters brought from France.

"You have no more excuses, you look terrific." Daisy said softly. "Can we go now?"

"Well, I-"

"Hush, you. Don't give me that," Daisy warned. "You look beautiful, Mrs. Ketchum is a great friend of ours and she deserves to have all of her friends with her in such a happy celebration."

"Yes, I guess…"

"Great. Let's go then!" Daisy hopped joyfully, clapping her hands together. She then grabbed one of Misty's arms, dragging her out of the gym, where a friend was waiting in a black car.

"What's this?" Misty asked once they were outside.

"This is our ride!" Daisy replied with a wink.

The driver, noticing their presence, opened the door and got out of the car, finally showing himself. Misty gasped in surprise. She ran towards person she knew so well, calling out his name.

"Hi, Misty!" Brock greeted, holding her and slightly lifting her from the ground as he did so. It was incredible how he had grown from the fifteen year-old teen she used to know. Now, standing in front of her was an elegant and older Brock, wearing a simple black outfit without a tie.

"It's so nice to actually _see_ you again outside of my videophone's pixels!"

"Yeah, well, 'been busy, you know, doing breeder's stuff."

Misty grinned. "How's that going?"

"It's been great, Misty, just great," Brock replied honestly with a smile of his own. She only sensed the smallest amount of tension emanating from him. She put that in the back of her head, making a mental note to ask some questions later.

"Oh, I want to hear all about it," Misty said.

"C'mon you two, you can catch up on our way to the party!" Daisy said playfully, nudging her sister inside.

Brock made a funny bow and opened the back door for them. The two sisters giggled and stepped into the car gracefully.

* * *

><p>Ash glanced apprehensively at the clock. He felt nauseous for some reason - he sure hoped this weird symptom wasn't caused by the starters he had already devoured.<p>

The trainer took a couple of deep breaths and looked around to distract himself. The house was almost empty because most of the people were outside in the garden, which was full of tables with appetizers - that's why. Ash would rather be with them around those tables than inside, greeting his mother's guests because she had to dress up.

He had already opened the front door around thirty times for the guests and greeted them like his mother told him to do. In between those foreign faces, Ash recognised some of his friends - Tracey came along with Professor Oak and Gary; also May, Max and Dawn had managed to come. The only ones missing were Brock… _and_ _Misty_. He gulped. She would arrive sometime soon and he would have to open the door for her and welcome her as if nothing was wrong or weird between them.

His mother was now displaying some loudspeakers and a small TV in front of them. Ash wondered what that was for, but made no questions. He just opened the door once more for a young couple to come in, greeting and thanking them for coming.

Ash had to admit the house looked nice, though the garden was the best part - each table had a jar full of flowers from their garden and two or three candles to repel the bugs. _That'll cheer Misty up, _he thought, mindful of her bug phobia. Petals of flowers were naturally spread over the tables, giving it a very beautiful and fresh look. Fireflies passed by once in a while, helping with the illumination, crickets sang an innate yet peaceful melody and the flowers perfumed the air.

However, what Ash loved even more was the two pokémon - Mr. Mime had on a fancy smoking and was dancing around with glasses of juice, champagne and wine, while Pikachu, also wearing a cute tux and black tie, charmed most of the female guests.

Ash checked himself. His mother had made him wear a tux and a black tie. He stubbornly pulled on it for the thousandth time. _This thing will suffocate me!_

The doorbell rang.

Ash's stomach contracted and he gulped. His heart raced crazily against his chest as he made his away to the door. His hands were incredibly sweaty and his legs like jelly. Somehow, he knew it was her standing at the other side of the door.

He opened it slowly and saw two people standing with great smiles - Brock and Daisy. Behind them was another one, _the one_. He saw red-orange hair covering her smooth, peachy skin, and blue-green eyes observing his mother's tulips. He gaped.

Brock and Daisy shared a knowing glance.

"Hey, Ash!" Brock grinned. He reached forward, put one arm around Ash's neck and tousled his hair.

"Hey, hey, hey! Brock!" Ash protested, finally composing himself. "This took me centuries to brush!"

"Glad to see you too, man! It's been a while!" Brock replied ironically with a smirk.

"Just get in!" he pouted, pointing to his back with his thumb. Daisy nodded in his direction and left after Brock to put some music on.

_Damn you Daisy! What kind of sister are you? _Misty thought.

Ash noticeably tensed up when their eyes met for a second. He tried to still his breathing. He licked his lips nervously, trying to remember what he should say. He couldn't take how beautiful she looked.

Misty wasn't in better shape. The Butterfree in her stomach were wilder than the last time she had been with him; painful and joyful memories swirled through her mind at the speed of light, causing her hands to clench tightly. She closed her eyes for a moment, exhaling nervously and preparing to leave when she heard him muttering something.

"W-welcome… Please come in and have a good time," Ash recited the sentence without staring into her eyes and moved himself so she could step in.

"Thank you," she replied coldly, getting in.

For just one second, their arms rubbed and Ash bit his lips, calling to him all his might for not doing something foolish. He held on to the fact that she had not brought a date - that was bound to soothe his conflicted mind.

Misty turned to glance at him; he looked so tense. She wanted to know why. That thought almost made her turn around and walk back to him, but she heard a voice calling her.

Delia was on top of the stairs waving at her, in a beautiful long, light pink dress; her hair was free from the usual low ponytail. She realized too late what was happening and sweatdropped. _Oops_.

Ash too had turned when he heard his mother's voice. He smiled at her, acknowledging her beauty that seemed permanent even after all those years. The trainer rushed up the stairs and gracefully held out one arm for his mother to take.

"Will you dance ma'am?" Delia grinned, and copied his actions, immediately accepting.

The scene displayed before her eyes almost made Misty smile as well. She waved gingerly at Delia, grasped her tiny purse tightly and moved forward in search for Brock and Daisy. Almost too soon - this probably being Ash's point of view - the redhead encountered an ex-boyfriend who asked her to dance. Agreeing, Misty let him lead her through the dance floor, not really paying attention to the music, but showing a keen interest in the garden.

Ash almost beamed when Pikachu noticed Misty and jumped into her arms, causing her dancing partner to scowl. The gym leader didn't seem to be bothered or angered by Pikachu's entrance; in fact, it seemed the total opposite - she appeared to be delighted and almost relieved. He watched them as Misty held Pikachu closely and scratched his favorite spot, which the rodent clearly appreciated, given the happy noises he made.

Delia noticed this too and, turning around to meet Daisy's eyes, nodded.

"Hey! Daisy, what are ya doin'?" Misty asked, confused, while she was dragged into the house and Pikachu hopped to the floor, making an inquisitive sound. Delia followed right behind them with an equally puzzled Ash. They found themselves on the small stage she had been preparing earlier that day. The hostess grabbed a microphone.

"Dear guests, I hope you're enjoying the party." The guests started to gather around, some of them clapping or making sounds of approval. "Good!" She smiled. "As many of you know, my son has arrived yesterday from a long journey." Some clapped more. "And I reckon you're all familiar with Cerulean gym leader, Misty Waterflower." There were more claps and some whistles coming from men. Ash slightly frowned. "They agreed to sing a very special song."

"Wait, what?!" Ash nearly shouted, dumbfounded.

"Let's see how many of you know it!" Delia continued.

"I'm _not_ singing!" Misty protested as Daisy pushed a microphone into her hands.

"Let's give them a warm welcome!" The small crowd cheered as Delia got out of the stage.

"Are you ready?" Daisy asked when she finished searching for the song, her finger resting on top of the 'Play' button. Misty shook her head; Ash only stared blankly, probably still not realizing what was to happen. "Oops, too bad!" Daisy said sarcastically. Ash and Misty facepalmed.

A calm and soft piano echoed through the loudspeakers. The lyrics appeared on the screen - blue for male; pink for female; green for both. He knew the song, and so did Misty. And it was so ironic that almost everything fit - or, at least, to some metaphoric extent.

Ash had no choice but to sing, so he positioned the microphone in front of himself and sang the first verse in his baritone voice.

(**Ash, **_Misty_, _**Both**_)

**Did I disappoint your or let you down?**

**Should I be feeling guilty or let the judges frown?**

'**Cause I saw the end before we'd begun**

**Yes, I saw you were blinded and I knew I had won**

**So I took what's mine by eternal right**

**Took your soul out into the night**

**It may be over, but it won't stop there**

**I am here for you, if you'd only care**

Emotion - that was all Misty heard in his singing voice. He wasn't perfect, obviously, but those words seemed to crash into her heart against her will. She reminded herself that this was only a song, but when he stared at her, the redhead was positive her heart had reduced to the size of a pea.

She lifted her microphone.

_You touched my heart, you touched my soul,_

_You changed my life and all my goals_

_And love is blind and that I knew when_

_My heart was blinded by you_

**I've kissed your lips and held your head**

_Shared your dreams and shared your bed_

**I know you well, I know your smell**

_I've been addicted to you_

Misty finally looked up at him to sing the chorus. Chocolate brown. Ash took two steps to be closer to her. She faulted, but no one seemed to notice.

_**Goodbye my lover, **_

_**Goodbye my friend,**_

_**You have been the one, **_

_**You have been the one for me**_

Daisy and Delia glanced at each other in awe and high fived; their plan was going perfectly.

Reading what her eyes said was always difficult for him, but now they seemed to be foreign. Something was troubling her, something big.

_I am a dreamer and when I wake,_

_You can't break my spirit - it's my dreams you take_

_And as you move on, remember me, _

_Remember us and all we used to be _

Ash wondered if this last verse conveyed the truth; if her dreams had been stolen by him. Was she as heartbroken as he?

He stepped closer; she didn't move.

_**I've seen you cry, I've seen you smile**_

**I've watched you sleeping for a while**

**I'd be the father of your child,**

_**I'd spend a lifetime with you**_

_I know your fears and you know mine_

_We've had our doubts but now we're fine_

_**And I love you, I swear that's true**_

_**I cannot live without you**_

Every couple was cuddling to the sound of the music, a choir timidly formed in the public. Misty felt something fluttering in her stomach again. Ash made an inner resolve.

_**Goodbye my lover, **_

_**Goodbye my friend,**_

_**You have been the one, **_

_**You have been the one for me**_

Ash got as close to Misty as his self-control allowed. He reached his hand forward, softly rubbing hers. There it was - the familiar tingle, which started on his fingers and expanded to all of his body. Misty was so surprised by this that she didn't know what to do. A part of her – a very small one – wanted to take her hand away from his; the biggest part, though, wanted that moment to last forever.

_And I still hold your hand in mine, _

_In mine when I'm asleep_

**And I will bear my soul in time, **

**When I'm kneeling at your feet.**

His fingers were slightly tangled in hers, still not holding her hand completely. He closed his eyes for a moment, to save that feeling in his memory. Every little piece of him was reacting to her and that was the main proof that he was alive, something he thought he would never be capable of again. Just living wasn't enough anymore, not now that he had tasted this.

**Goodbye my lover, **

_Goodbye my friend,_

**You have been the one, **

_You have been the one for me._

Misty's heart was in such a mess; she could only resume it as a huge confused wire of nerves, emotions and sensations. She was shaking slightly, induced by his gentle touch, seeking to establish her own breathing and to cope with her mixed feelings. She should be mad at him; she should be yelling at him; she should be hammering his head with her mallet. _Should, should, should._

**I'm so hollow baby**_, I'm so hollow_

_**I'm so,**__ I'm so, __**I'm so hollow**_

The reverberation of the chords seemed to last forever in their minds, but they were quickly awaken from their daydream when the crowd started to clap furiously, whistling and approving. However, the time paused for the both of them, as it appeared. They only breathed and stared at each.

_What has just transpired here?_

Daisy moved quickly, as to spare the couple from any further humiliation. She grabbed Misty's microphone and said, "Thank you, Ash, Misty, for this marvelous moment! The song was 'Goodbye My Lover', kudos to those of you who guessed it right!" More cheering came from the audience, whilst Delia motioned for the dumbstruck couple to move out of stage. "Following, we have the previous Pewter gym leader and now a full-fledged breeder, Brock Slate!" Sounds of recognition came from the crowd. "He'll be singing one of Nazareth's most famous hit, 'Love Hurts'! Let's give him a warm welcome!" The crowd applauded enthusiastically. Truly speaking, Daisy was more of a stage person than the hostess, and as such, handled the public better.

Brock got up the stage, though neither Ash nor Misty were really listening anymore.

Ash licked his lips, fighting to find his voice again - he had just used it to sing, why were words so difficult when he was around her?

"Um… Well… Will… Will you dance with me?" His cheeks turned reddish. Misty gasped in surprise. Their hands were still barely touching; it felt so warm and right, yet frustrating at the same time.

_Why am I feeling this? I should be repulsive about him! _

The music started to play, making a small intro before the singer started. They still didn't notice.

"Well…" she muttered. _Yes, I will_. "I…" she tried again. _Yes, I will!_ "I mean…" _Yes, I _bloody _will! _"I don't think that's a good idea," she finally said, clearly contradicting her wishes. Her whole body protested when she took her hand away from his.

"Oh," was all Ash managed afterwards.

"Excuse me," Misty said, preparing to squeeze through the crowd to get outside.

Ash grabbed her wrist before she could. She didn't look back.

"What's wrong?" When his question was met with silence, he tried again, "Talk to me, Mist…"

Misty briskly removed her wrist from his grasp, and spun around. Her complexion could be labeled as angered - which was Ash's first thought. Had he gone too far? However, if one looked closely enough, there were few small signals that in all truth Misty was plainly sad, disappointed, shattered and afraid by what he made her feel.

He didn't try to stop her this time, and watched as she hurriedly made her way through the guests.

His fingers felt extremely cold now.

Pikachu had watched the whole scene and had its ears down in disappointment. Daisy came behind him and, leaning down, she picked Pikachu up in her arms. She was also sad about how things had worked out. Her little sister was so stubborn sometimes.

She sighed. "I guess we can't do anything about it…"

Brock finished the song and the crowd clapped. He wasn't bad.

Delia went on stage again, challenging her friends to get on as well and sing some. While they did, Ash could be seen sulking in a corner with a beer in his hand. Misty was nowhere to be seen. He figured she was pointedly avoiding him. _It seems she can hold a grudge for four years._

After some more songs, the karaoke was over and Daisy was back to her unpaid part-time job. She brought some music along with her but not much, so she decided to look for something a little bit older, since the party was for Delia's friends. _80's should do!_ She smirked.

'Dancing in the Dark' started playing and everyone clapped for finally having some danceable music. After the intro, Bruce Springsteen's husky voice started to sing the well-known song. Ash ignored it completely; his problem wasn't solved yet, but he could do nothing about that right now.

Misty was holding a glass of juice of which flavor was still unknown to her. She had been staring blankly at the flowers in the back of Delia's garden while resting her back against a tree that was off the limits of the Ketchum's residence fence. Her silent prayers to Mew that no bug showed to make her jump out of her skin must have been heard, because none appeared. She heard Brock sing and then some of Delia's guests, but didn't pay much attention.

The gym leader smoothed down her dress. She knew she was being quite stared at, and when Dawn, May and Max tried to keep a light conversation with her, she had utterly ruined it by simply not breathing out a word. She didn't mean to hurt their feelings, but she just couldn't bring herself to care at the present moment.

The redhead raised the glass to her lips, taking a sip. _Pineapple juice, then. I guess that's nice._

She was too absent minded to notice a tottering man approaching her. Only when he was close enough for her to smell the alcohol did she realize he was standing far too close. He asked her to dance, which she refused politely, turning her head in search for someone. Too bad there really wasn't anyone close by. Had she gotten that far into the woods?

Ash was feeling miserable inside his own house with so many people dancing and bumping into him and stepping onto his feet. He gave up his beer and walked outside for some fresh hair.

"Ash?" a female voice called.

"Oh, hello, May," Ash greeted as soon as he recognised her. "Hi, guys," he added when he noticed Max and Dawn standing behind the brunette.

"Hey, listen, have you seen Misty around?" May asked, looking somewhat troubled.

Ash gulped. "Not in a while. Why?"

"Well, the last time we saw her, she looked really weird," Dawn said in a worried tone.

"Rather lost in thought, if you ask me," Max added with a frown.

"We stopped seeing her for a while now. I wonder if she went home," May mused.

Ash pondered that for a moment. She could have called a cab, but then again, he hadn't heard the sound of a car. He didn't know if he would, though, seeing as the music's volume was high.

"Well, let's go find her, then," he suggested, trying to fight a small wave of concern.

Searching the garden was no difficult task, due to its small size. Soon the group decided to separate and look around. Ash decided to go beyond the fence and into the woods, but promised to not dive too deep.

Misty was getting impatient with this drunken guy whose name was yet to be discovered - not that she cared enough to ask, anyway. He was leaning over her, babbling out nonsense and reeking of alcohol, making her want to punch him in the face.

"C'mon little princess, I know ya can't resist me! Let's dance in the woods!" He grabbed her arm, trying to make her move. She sent him a warning glare, but he didn't seem to cave. The drunk gave her another pull, a rougher one.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you," a voice said from behind the man that was making her lose her temper. She knew who it was. The drunk took a peek over his shoulder.

"Whaddya want?" he asked angrily.

"Let her go," Ash firmly ordered.

"Or what? What will ya do?" The guy laughed mischievously.

"I'll-"

"Do nothing," Misty completed before Ash had the time. "But _I_ will kick your arse into hell and back if you insist on testing my patience."

"Oh, she's a fiery one," he commented with a smirk. "This makes things even more interesting."

Misty felt a vein pulsing in her head from the growing annoyance. Ash closed the rest of the distance, his eyes hard as stone. The drunk pulled her closer.

A cracking sound was heard when Misty's mallet made contact with the drunk's head, leaving him on the floor with teary eyes.

He laughed in spite of himself. "Is she your girlfriend?" he asked, still laughing, glancing up at an almost-growling Ash. "Are you his girlfriend?" he turned to Misty this time.

A second hit was landed and the drunk was out.

Misty cleaned her hands, clearly still annoyed. Nonetheless, this encounter - or the last part of it, at least - had served as a stress reliever.

"You know, you shouldn't be drifting about on your own," Ash mumbled after a while.

"Shut up or you'll be next," Misty responded, pointing at him.

"What?" he cried.

"You heard it. I'm no lady in distress."

"Ha! You'd have to actually _be_ a lady first!" Ash snorted, taking a step in her direction.

"Oh, yeah? I can be a lady when a _true gentleman_ comes in the picture! I don't go around chatting with talking pigs!" She mimicked his actions.

"I'm not a pig!" He closed some more of the distance separating them.

"Are too!"

"Am _not_!"

"_Are too!"_

At this point, their noses where almost touching.

"Guys!" a very relieved Dawn cried out, rushing in their direction. They immediately separated, just realizing how close they were. "Everyone's looking for you. You had us worried!" Then she noticed the drunken one passed out on the grass. "Who's that?"

"Just an asshole," Misty replied with indifference. "Never mind, Dawn, let's get back." Misty grabbed her arm and walked back to the garden. The blue haired girl only had the time to slightly turn her head once more to look at Ash before being dragged away.

Ash stood there for some more time. The drunk had started to snore loudly and his stomach was grumbling when a stumbling Brock found him. To his surprise, Pikachu was in his best friend's shoulder, trying in vain to capture the beer Brock was drinking.

_Great, he's drunk._ Ash neared them.

"Hey Brock, what's up?" he asked casually.

"She dumped me, man!" Brock moaned, teary-eyed.

Then, the former gym leader started to philosophize about the meaning of life without love, of how he was not going to survive without her and how the days were grey and cold without her by his side.

"C'mon Brock, you'll be fine, just give it time!" Ash tried to comfort him, though he didn't really believe it himself.

"Pi pika!" Pikachu agreed.

"She was the one man_, the one_!" Brock groaned again. "Why did I have to ask her to marry me? We were just fine!"

"How long have you two dated? Ash asked, a little curious.

"Almost four years!"

"Oh." Ash winced. "It wasn't your fault, Brocko. I mean, four years is a perfect time!"

"How am I gonna live without her?" he asked no one in particular. Pikachu finally managed to get a grip on Brock's beer and stared with curiosity at it. "Ash, don't you ever let her go like this, you hear me?"

"What do you mean?"

"Misty, man! Don't you ever let her go again, okay?" Ash blushed in surprise. Was he really that obvious? He had told Brock four years ago what he was feeling but… did Brock know that his feelings remained?

"It's complicated," Ash said. "We really shouldn't-"

"Stop making excuses to why you shouldn't," Brock cut him out, rising up his eyebrow in the process. Pikachu sniffed the bottle. "Start finding reasons why you should."

"I wish it was that simple," Ash whispered, mostly to himself. Pikachu licked the bottleneck and made a funny face.

"Pika pikachu," the rodent muttered, but none of them heard him.

"It's up to you, Ash." Brock shrugged. "Now go find Daisy because I can't drive and she's hopefully sober."

Pikachu tried to take a sip of the bottle, but fell backwards due to the added weight. Ash noticed just in time and dived to catch him.

"Not you too!"

* * *

><p><strong>The end of chapter 4!<strong>

**Kudos to you if you knew the song before I announced its name! :D**

**I feel like I've changed this one a lot, but I prefer it this way. Let me know if you have any complaint, though!**

_Love&Music_ for you all,

_C'sMelody_


	5. Different Kinds of Hangover

**Hey! **

**I've finally edited this one!**

**Music:**

** - The first one is special, and you'll find it in the middle of the story;**

- "**Love hurts", by Nazareth;**

- "**Dancing in the Dark", by Bruce Springsteen (or 'The Boss', whichever you prefer ;) ).**

* * *

><p><strong>The Perks of Not Being a Lady<strong>

Daisy arrived that morning at the gym looking like a tourist - wearing jean shorts, a t-shirt, sandals and sunglasses. There was a broad smile on her lips, her hair was caught back in a ponytail, and her tan would make most celebrities jealous.

To say Misty was surprised was an understatement. Nonetheless, after the shock had vanished, the sisters hugged for a while and Misty helped Daisy carry her belongings inside. After sorting everything in place and unwrapping a couple of souvenirs brought from France and Spain, the siblings went down the stairs to make some breakfast.

Misty had eagerly asked many questions about all the countries her three sisters had been to, revealing a keen and special interest in France. The duo laughed at some of the blonde's stories, and two hours passed before Misty allowed Daisy to be the one asking.

"So, how's it going?"

"Oh, the gym's going pretty well!" Misty replied. "How are Lily and Violet? Mew knows they must be lost without you!" she snickered.

Daisy giggled. _That was not what I meant, sis._ "Henry is quite the manager, I'm sure they're in good hands."

"That's if they don't try to jump him when you're not around," Misty offered with a wink.

They laughed some more. "I don't think my presence would make a difference," Daisy replied, watching Misty's expression turning to one of pure amusement. "Before you ask, Henry is totally professional, so, no worries." Misty grinned. "But you didn't answer my question - how are _you_?"

"Oh, good, thanks," Misty said, the force of habit practically controlling her gestures, consisting of not eyeing her sister, contract her body in the chair and join her palms in a nervous fashion. Something changed in her features too - she seemed to be mulling over something. Daisy could only guess what.

_Stubborn,_ the eldest thought.

"So," Misty started, letting out a repressed sigh. "Why are you here? Tired of touring around Europe?"

"What? Can't I, like, pay a visit to my little sis' since she's all alone in this huge gym?" Daisy inquired sarcastically, motioning with wide arms to the space around her.

"Of course you can!" Misty exclaimed, half laughing at her sister's antics. "I didn't expect you, though, nor Lily or Violet, for that matter."

"Well, but I am here." Daisy winked. "So, you' going to Mrs. Ketchum party?"

_Perfect timing, Daisy, _Misty thought ironically.

"I don't know yet…" She lowered her head to her plate, playing with her pancakes' scarce remains.

"My, my, I wonder what could make you skip a party," Daisy said suggestively.

Misty blushed, knowing all too well what her sister was implying. "Well, that's-!" Her head jerked upwards, her leftovers ignored. "Wait! How do you know about the party?" Misty asked with surprise in her voice.

"Mrs. Ketchum invited me."

"Wait, she invited _you_?"

"Why so surprised?"

"I didn't know you two got along, that's all." Misty shrugged.

_Maybe_ _I shouldn't have said that, _Daisy thought, sweatdropping.

"Are you going?"

"Only if you tag along," Daisy replied, winking once more.

Misty sighed again, letting the stress from all the years show for a fraction of a second. Daisy, obviously, knew what the matter was, and she could almost touch the mask her sister had worn over the years - the fake smiles, the fake, "I'm good, and you?", the excuses and the avoiding-a-certain-topic-involving-a-certain-someone.

Just as it had appeared, it disappeared, leaving no trace of instability, making it hard to catch a glimpse of anxiety - Misty was in control again. The redhead rose to her feet, took the dishes in one hand and gingerly said, "You must be tired, go get some rest. The party only starts at seven."

Daisy stood up, quietly leaving Misty with her thoughts. There was no use for her to do something now. Well, at least not now _now, _the after _now_ would surely be a different situation. She had some things to take care of.

"_Ah! This is life!" Lily exclaimed in bliss, putting her arms underneath her head and enjoying every minute of sunbathe she could._

_The three Sensational Sisters were staying at a five star hotel her manager had booked for them in Portugal. They never thought their tours would go so far, especially to an internacional level, but there they were - right in the occidental extreme of the old continent._

_The siblings were on the beach relaxing, surrounded by men, as usual, when Daisy got the call from Delia. She ran back to the hotel so they could talk more privately._

"_Hello, Mrs. Ketchum, can I do something for you?"_

Daisy, _Delia said in a worried voice. She instantly knew what this was about. _Do you remember what happened four years ago?

_Daisy sighed. Of course she did. Taking the concern in Delia's voice into account it could only mean it had something to do with the two most stubborn people she had ever met. _

_She and Delia were the only ones who were aware of the incident (besides Misty and Ash, of course). Daisy had watched them dancing and the brief kiss they had shared; Delia had seen the other scene at her birthday. Daisy didn't know what had happened with her youngest sister, and because she was terribly worried, she went asking Delia for advice. Then everything had come out and both of them had tried to arrange some situations for the two to talk about it face to face. But instead of helping, it had made everything worse, since Ash left sooner than expected and Misty closed herself, acting as if nothing had happened. None of them had been the same again._

"_A party? Yes, I understand. Sure, I'll leave right away." The blonde looked at the clock. "I should arrive tomorrow morning if I leave in an hour or so." She moved around her room anxiously, picking some clothes of the wardrobe and throwing them onto the bed. "Okay, I'll call you back when I arrive at the gym and see how she is. Bye." She hung up._

**(A.N.: the difference of the time zone between Japan and Portugal is 8 hours. So, if Delia called around 5 p.m., in Portugal it was 9 a.m. of the same day. The travel time is around 14-15 hours, so, if Daisy left at 11 a.m., 7 p.m. in Japan, she should arrive around 9-10 a.m.)**

_Daisy quickly dialed her manager's number. At first he wasn't very pleased with the idea, but when she told him it would be just for the weekend and it was most urgent she left right away, he agreed, since they had no more shows until Monday night. Henry also told her he would book a plane ticket for her and that he would pick her in half an hour. _

_After finishing packing, she called her sisters to tell them her decision and that she would explain later, since she was being shot with lots of questions. She then changed into some comfortable clothes for the flight._

That reminded her that she had a call to make. She halted beside the pool, sitting beside it. The pokémon were probably all still inside the aquarium. Daisy searched her pockets and found her cell phone. She dialed the memorized numbers and waited for Delia to pick up.

_Ketchum's residence,_ a female voice announced.

"Mrs. Ketchum, it's Daisy here."

_Oh, Daisy! How was your flight? I'm so sorry for asking this much of you!_

"It was good, thanks." The eldest Sensational Sister smiled warmly. "Don't worry, I'm doing this for Misty. Tell me, have they met yet?" Things had changed so much in the last ten years; she hoped her improved relationship with her sister would help fulfill this 'project'.

_I'm afraid so. Yesterday Ash arrived home with a particular look on his face._

"How so?" Daisy asked, believing she already knew the answer.

_Well, a very special one._

"Oh, so do you think that-"

_I think they met, but nothing happened._

"Misty gave me that impression this morning as well," she mused. "Oh, they're so stubborn!" Daisy cried in exasperation. Delia made an agreeing sound from the other side of the line. "Um, I think I'm having an idea!"

_Really, what is it?_

* * *

><p>"Misty, get out of there!" Daisy demanded, kicking the door with her fists. "You're being ridiculous! It's just a bloody party!"<p>

"Damn it, Daisy! I'm not coming like this!" Misty shot back.

Daisy sighed. They had been fighting over this for the last hour. She had made Misty try on about ten different dresses and Misty had always retorted that she didn't like them or that they didn't look good on her, which was not true in Daisy's opinion - her youngest sister looked like a princess in any of them. That was the problem - Misty never really dressed like one.

"Can't I just put some shorts and shirt on?" she asked, almost hopefully.

"No way! I haven't put on this red dress for nothing!" Daisy protested.

She was not dressing for a ball, mind you - just a simple red dress of knee length and golden sandals. And she was trying desperately for Misty to do the same. The way she saw it, Misty was overreacting and Daisy knew it wasn't just because of the dress; her little sister didn't really want to go because of Ash.

"Where is the Misty that I used to know? How many chances will you have to understand and to be with him?"

"I don't know what you're talking about," Misty grumbled from the other side of the door.

"Alright, I'm coming in!" she yelled before storming into the room. She beamed when she took a look at Misty.

"Don't laugh!" the redhead cried, ashamed, not facing her elder sister.

"Oh, you look like an angel!" Daisy exclaimed with sparkling eyes.

Misty turned herself to the mirror, blushing because of the compliment. She was wearing a simple, but beautiful aquamarine dress of knee length with just one handle that matched her eyes and silver sandals. She also had some jewelry: two small earrings and a tiny necklace. Both of them were silver and a present from her three sisters brought from France.

"You have no more excuses, you look terrific." Daisy said softly. "Can we go now?"

"Well, I-"

"Hush, you. Don't give me that," Daisy warned. "You look beautiful, Mrs. Ketchum is a great friend of ours and she deserves to have all of her friends with her in such a happy celebration."

"Yes, I guess…"

"Great. Let's go then!" Daisy hopped joyfully, clapping her hands together. She then grabbed one of Misty's arms, dragging her out of the gym, where a friend was waiting in a black car.

"What's this?" Misty asked once they were outside.

"This is our ride!" Daisy replied with a wink.

The driver, noticing their presence, opened the door and got out of the car, finally showing himself. Misty gasped in surprise. She ran towards person she knew so well, calling out his name.

"Hi, Misty!" Brock greeted, holding her and slightly lifting her from the ground as he did so. It was incredible how he had grown from the fifteen year-old teen she used to know. Now, standing in front of her was an elegant and older Brock, wearing a simple black outfit without a tie.

"It's so nice to actually _see_ you again outside of my videophone's pixels!"

"Yeah, well, 'been busy, you know, doing breeder's stuff."

Misty grinned. "How's that going?"

"It's been great, Misty, just great," Brock replied honestly with a smile of his own. She only sensed the smallest amount of tension emanating from him. She put that in the back of her head, making a mental note to ask some questions later.

"Oh, I want to hear all about it," Misty said.

"C'mon you two, you can catch up on our way to the party!" Daisy said playfully, nudging her sister inside.

Brock made a funny bow and opened the back door for them. The two sisters giggled and stepped into the car gracefully.

* * *

><p>Ash glanced apprehensively at the clock. He felt nauseous for some reason - he sure hoped this weird symptom wasn't caused by the starters he had already devoured.<p>

The trainer took a couple of deep breaths and looked around to distract himself. The house was almost empty because most of the people were outside in the garden, which was full of tables with appetizers - that's why. Ash would rather be with them around those tables than inside, greeting his mother's guests because she had to dress up.

He had already opened the front door around thirty times for the guests and greeted them like his mother told him to do. In between those foreign faces, Ash recognised some of his friends - Tracey came along with Professor Oak and Gary; also May, Max and Dawn had managed to come. The only ones missing were Brock… _and_ _Misty_. He gulped. She would arrive sometime soon and he would have to open the door for her and welcome her as if nothing was wrong or weird between them.

His mother was now displaying some loudspeakers and a small TV in front of them. Ash wondered what that was for, but made no questions. He just opened the door once more for a young couple to come in, greeting and thanking them for coming.

Ash had to admit the house looked nice, though the garden was the best part - each table had a jar full of flowers from their garden and two or three candles to repel the bugs. _That'll cheer Misty up, _he thought, mindful of her bug phobia. Petals of flowers were naturally spread over the tables, giving it a very beautiful and fresh look. Fireflies passed by once in a while, helping with the illumination, crickets sang an innate yet peaceful melody and the flowers perfumed the air.

However, what Ash loved even more was the two pokémon - Mr. Mime had on a fancy smoking and was dancing around with glasses of juice, champagne and wine, while Pikachu, also wearing a cute tux and black tie, charmed most of the female guests.

Ash checked himself. His mother had made him wear a tux and a black tie. He stubbornly pulled on it for the thousandth time. _This thing will suffocate me!_

The doorbell rang.

Ash's stomach contracted and he gulped. His heart raced crazily against his chest as he made his away to the door. His hands were incredibly sweaty and his legs like jelly. Somehow, he knew it was her standing at the other side of the door.

He opened it slowly and saw two people standing with great smiles - Brock and Daisy. Behind them was another one, _the one_. He saw red-orange hair covering her smooth, peachy skin, and blue-green eyes observing his mother's tulips. He gaped.

Brock and Daisy shared a knowing glance.

"Hey, Ash!" Brock grinned. He reached forward, put one arm around Ash's neck and tousled his hair.

"Hey, hey, hey! Brock!" Ash protested, finally composing himself. "This took me centuries to brush!"

"Glad to see you too, man! It's been a while!" Brock replied ironically with a smirk.

"Just get in!" he pouted, pointing to his back with his thumb. Daisy nodded in his direction and left after Brock to put some music on.

_Damn you Daisy! What kind of sister are you? _Misty thought.

Ash noticeably tensed up when their eyes met for a second. He tried to still his breathing. He licked his lips nervously, trying to remember what he should say. He couldn't take how beautiful she looked.

Misty wasn't in better shape. The Butterfree in her stomach were wilder than the last time she had been with him; painful and joyful memories swirled through her mind at the speed of light, causing her hands to clench tightly. She closed her eyes for a moment, exhaling nervously and preparing to leave when she heard him muttering something.

"W-welcome… Please come in and have a good time," Ash recited the sentence without staring into her eyes and moved himself so she could step in.

"Thank you," she replied coldly, getting in.

For just one second, their arms rubbed and Ash bit his lips, calling to him all his might for not doing something foolish. He held on to the fact that she had not brought a date - that was bound to soothe his conflicted mind.

Misty turned to glance at him; he looked so tense. She wanted to know why. That thought almost made her turn around and walk back to him, but she heard a voice calling her.

Delia was on top of the stairs waving at her, in a beautiful long, light pink dress; her hair was free from the usual low ponytail. She realized too late what was happening and sweatdropped. _Oops_.

Ash too had turned when he heard his mother's voice. He smiled at her, acknowledging her beauty that seemed permanent even after all those years. The trainer rushed up the stairs and gracefully held out one arm for his mother to take.

"Will you dance ma'am?" Delia grinned, and copied his actions, immediately accepting.

The scene displayed before her eyes almost made Misty smile as well. She waved gingerly at Delia, grasped her tiny purse tightly and moved forward in search for Brock and Daisy. Almost too soon - this probably being Ash's point of view - the redhead encountered an ex-boyfriend who asked her to dance. Agreeing, Misty let him lead her through the dance floor, not really paying attention to the music, but showing a keen interest in the garden.

Ash almost beamed when Pikachu noticed Misty and jumped into her arms, causing her dancing partner to scowl. The gym leader didn't seem to be bothered or angered by Pikachu's entrance; in fact, it seemed the total opposite - she appeared to be delighted and almost relieved. He watched them as Misty held Pikachu closely and scratched his favorite spot, which the rodent clearly appreciated, given the happy noises he made.

Delia noticed this too and, turning around to meet Daisy's eyes, nodded.

"Hey! Daisy, what are ya doin'?" Misty asked, confused, while she was dragged into the house and Pikachu hopped to the floor, making an inquisitive sound. Delia followed right behind them with an equally puzzled Ash. They found themselves on the small stage she had been preparing earlier that day. The hostess grabbed a microphone.

"Dear guests, I hope you're enjoying the party." The guests started to gather around, some of them clapping or making sounds of approval. "Good!" She smiled. "As many of you know, my son has arrived yesterday from a long journey." Some clapped more. "And I reckon you're all familiar with Cerulean gym leader, Misty Waterflower." There were more claps and some whistles coming from men. Ash slightly frowned. "They agreed to sing a very special song."

"Wait, what?!" Ash nearly shouted, dumbfounded.

"Let's see how many of you know it!" Delia continued.

"I'm _not_ singing!" Misty protested as Daisy pushed a microphone into her hands.

"Let's give them a warm welcome!" The small crowd cheered as Delia got out of the stage.

"Are you ready?" Daisy asked when she finished searching for the song, her finger resting on top of the 'Play' button. Misty shook her head; Ash only stared blankly, probably still not realizing what was to happen. "Oops, too bad!" Daisy said sarcastically. Ash and Misty facepalmed.

A calm and soft piano echoed through the loudspeakers. The lyrics appeared on the screen - blue for male; pink for female; green for both. He knew the song, and so did Misty. And it was so ironic that almost everything fit - or, at least, to some metaphoric extent.

Ash had no choice but to sing, so he positioned the microphone in front of himself and sang the first verse in his baritone voice.

(**Ash, **_Misty_, _**Both**_)

**Did I disappoint your or let you down?**

**Should I be feeling guilty or let the judges frown?**

'**Cause I saw the end before we'd begun**

**Yes, I saw you were blinded and I knew I had won**

**So I took what's mine by eternal right**

**Took your soul out into the night**

**It may be over, but it won't stop there**

**I am here for you, if you'd only care**

Emotion - that was all Misty heard in his singing voice. He wasn't perfect, obviously, but those words seemed to crash into her heart against her will. She reminded herself that this was only a song, but when he stared at her, the redhead was positive her heart had reduced to the size of a pea.

She lifted her microphone.

_You touched my heart, you touched my soul,_

_You changed my life and all my goals_

_And love is blind and that I knew when_

_My heart was blinded by you_

**I've kissed your lips and held your head**

_Shared your dreams and shared your bed_

**I know you well, I know your smell**

_I've been addicted to you_

Misty finally looked up at him to sing the chorus. Chocolate brown. Ash took two steps to be closer to her. She faulted, but no one seemed to notice.

_**Goodbye my lover, **_

_**Goodbye my friend,**_

_**You have been the one, **_

_**You have been the one for me**_

Daisy and Delia glanced at each other in awe and high fived; their plan was going perfectly.

Reading what her eyes said was always difficult for him, but now they seemed to be foreign. Something was troubling her, something big.

_I am a dreamer and when I wake,_

_You can't break my spirit - it's my dreams you take_

_And as you move on, remember me, _

_Remember us and all we used to be _

Ash wondered if this last verse conveyed the truth; if her dreams had been stolen by him. Was she as heartbroken as he?

He stepped closer; she didn't move.

_**I've seen you cry, I've seen you smile**_

**I've watched you sleeping for a while**

**I'd be the father of your child,**

_**I'd spend a lifetime with you**_

_I know your fears and you know mine_

_We've had our doubts but now we're fine_

_**And I love you, I swear that's true**_

_**I cannot live without you**_

Every couple was cuddling to the sound of the music, a choir timidly formed in the public. Misty felt something fluttering in her stomach again. Ash made an inner resolve.

_**Goodbye my lover, **_

_**Goodbye my friend,**_

_**You have been the one, **_

_**You have been the one for me**_

Ash got as close to Misty as his self-control allowed. He reached his hand forward, softly rubbing hers. There it was - the familiar tingle, which started on his fingers and expanded to all of his body. Misty was so surprised by this that she didn't know what to do. A part of her – a very small one – wanted to take her hand away from his; the biggest part, though, wanted that moment to last forever.

_And I still hold your hand in mine, _

_In mine when I'm asleep_

**And I will bear my soul in time, **

**When I'm kneeling at your feet.**

His fingers were slightly tangled in hers, still not holding her hand completely. He closed his eyes for a moment, to save that feeling in his memory. Every little piece of him was reacting to her and that was the main proof that he was alive, something he thought he would never be capable of again. Just living wasn't enough anymore, not now that he had tasted this.

**Goodbye my lover, **

_Goodbye my friend,_

**You have been the one, **

_You have been the one for me._

Misty's heart was in such a mess; she could only resume it as a huge confused wire of nerves, emotions and sensations. She was shaking slightly, induced by his gentle touch, seeking to establish her own breathing and to cope with her mixed feelings. She should be mad at him; she should be yelling at him; she should be hammering his head with her mallet. _Should, should, should._

**I'm so hollow baby**_, I'm so hollow_

_**I'm so,**__ I'm so, __**I'm so hollow**_

The reverberation of the chords seemed to last forever in their minds, but they were quickly awaken from their daydream when the crowd started to clap furiously, whistling and approving. However, the time paused for the both of them, as it appeared. They only breathed and stared at each.

_What has just transpired here?_

Daisy moved quickly, as to spare the couple from any further humiliation. She grabbed Misty's microphone and said, "Thank you, Ash, Misty, for this marvelous moment! The song was 'Goodbye My Lover', kudos to those of you who guessed it right!" More cheering came from the audience, whilst Delia motioned for the dumbstruck couple to move out of stage. "Following, we have the previous Pewter gym leader and now a full-fledged breeder, Brock Slate!" Sounds of recognition came from the crowd. "He'll be singing one of Nazareth's most famous hit, 'Love Hurts'! Let's give him a warm welcome!" The crowd applauded enthusiastically. Truly speaking, Daisy was more of a stage person than the hostess, and as such, handled the public better.

Brock got up the stage, though neither Ash nor Misty were really listening anymore.

Ash licked his lips, fighting to find his voice again - he had just used it to sing, why were words so difficult when he was around her?

"Um… Well… Will… Will you dance with me?" His cheeks turned reddish. Misty gasped in surprise. Their hands were still barely touching; it felt so warm and right, yet frustrating at the same time.

_Why am I feeling this? I should be repulsive about him! _

The music started to play, making a small intro before the singer started. They still didn't notice.

"Well…" she muttered. _Yes, I will_. "I…" she tried again. _Yes, I will!_ "I mean…" _Yes, I _bloody _will! _"I don't think that's a good idea," she finally said, clearly contradicting her wishes. Her whole body protested when she took her hand away from his.

"Oh," was all Ash managed afterwards.

"Excuse me," Misty said, preparing to squeeze through the crowd to get outside.

Ash grabbed her wrist before she could. She didn't look back.

"What's wrong?" When his question was met with silence, he tried again, "Talk to me, Mist…"

Misty briskly removed her wrist from his grasp, and spun around. Her complexion could be labeled as angered - which was Ash's first thought. Had he gone too far? However, if one looked closely enough, there were few small signals that in all truth Misty was plainly sad, disappointed, shattered and afraid by what he made her feel.

He didn't try to stop her this time, and watched as she hurriedly made her way through the guests.

His fingers felt extremely cold now.

Pikachu had watched the whole scene and had its ears down in disappointment. Daisy came behind him and, leaning down, she picked Pikachu up in her arms. She was also sad about how things had worked out. Her little sister was so stubborn sometimes.

She sighed. "I guess we can't do anything about it…"

Brock finished the song and the crowd clapped. He wasn't bad.

Delia went on stage again, challenging her friends to get on as well and sing some. While they did, Ash could be seen sulking in a corner with a beer in his hand. Misty was nowhere to be seen. He figured she was pointedly avoiding him. _It seems she can hold a grudge for four years._

After some more songs, the karaoke was over and Daisy was back to her unpaid part-time job. She brought some music along with her but not much, so she decided to look for something a little bit older, since the party was for Delia's friends. _80's should do!_ She smirked.

'Dancing in the Dark' started playing and everyone clapped for finally having some danceable music. After the intro, Bruce Springsteen's husky voice started to sing the well-known song. Ash ignored it completely; his problem wasn't solved yet, but he could do nothing about that right now.

Misty was holding a glass of juice of which flavor was still unknown to her. She had been staring blankly at the flowers in the back of Delia's garden while resting her back against a tree that was off the limits of the Ketchum's residence fence. Her silent prayers to Mew that no bug showed to make her jump out of her skin must have been heard, because none appeared. She heard Brock sing and then some of Delia's guests, but didn't pay much attention.

The gym leader smoothed down her dress. She knew she was being quite stared at, and when Dawn, May and Max tried to keep a light conversation with her, she had utterly ruined it by simply not breathing out a word. She didn't mean to hurt their feelings, but she just couldn't bring herself to care at the present moment.

The redhead raised the glass to her lips, taking a sip. _Pineapple juice, then. I guess that's nice._

She was too absent minded to notice a tottering man approaching her. Only when he was close enough for her to smell the alcohol did she realize he was standing far too close. He asked her to dance, which she refused politely, turning her head in search for someone. Too bad there really wasn't anyone close by. Had she gotten that far into the woods?

Ash was feeling miserable inside his own house with so many people dancing and bumping into him and stepping onto his feet. He gave up his beer and walked outside for some fresh hair.

"Ash?" a female voice called.

"Oh, hello, May," Ash greeted as soon as he recognised her. "Hi, guys," he added when he noticed Max and Dawn standing behind the brunette.

"Hey, listen, have you seen Misty around?" May asked, looking somewhat troubled.

Ash gulped. "Not in a while. Why?"

"Well, the last time we saw her, she looked really weird," Dawn said in a worried tone.

"Rather lost in thought, if you ask me," Max added with a frown.

"We stopped seeing her for a while now. I wonder if she went home," May mused.

Ash pondered that for a moment. She could have called a cab, but then again, he hadn't heard the sound of a car. He didn't know if he would, though, seeing as the music's volume was high.

"Well, let's go find her, then," he suggested, trying to fight a small wave of concern.

Searching the garden was no difficult task, due to its small size. Soon the group decided to separate and look around. Ash decided to go beyond the fence and into the woods, but promised to not dive too deep.

Misty was getting impatient with this drunken guy whose name was yet to be discovered - not that she cared enough to ask, anyway. He was leaning over her, babbling out nonsense and reeking of alcohol, making her want to punch him in the face.

"C'mon little princess, I know ya can't resist me! Let's dance in the woods!" He grabbed her arm, trying to make her move. She sent him a warning glare, but he didn't seem to cave. The drunk gave her another pull, a rougher one.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you," a voice said from behind the man that was making her lose her temper. She knew who it was. The drunk took a peek over his shoulder.

"Whaddya want?" he asked angrily.

"Let her go," Ash firmly ordered.

"Or what? What will ya do?" The guy laughed mischievously.

"I'll-"

"Do nothing," Misty completed before Ash had the time. "But _I_ will kick your arse into hell and back if you insist on testing my patience."

"Oh, she's a fiery one," he commented with a smirk. "This makes things even more interesting."

Misty felt a vein pulsing in her head from the growing annoyance. Ash closed the rest of the distance, his eyes hard as stone. The drunk pulled her closer.

A cracking sound was heard when Misty's mallet made contact with the drunk's head, leaving him on the floor with teary eyes.

He laughed in spite of himself. "Is she your girlfriend?" he asked, still laughing, glancing up at an almost-growling Ash. "Are you his girlfriend?" he turned to Misty this time.

A second hit was landed and the drunk was out.

Misty cleaned her hands, clearly still annoyed. Nonetheless, this encounter - or the last part of it, at least - had served as a stress reliever.

"You know, you shouldn't be drifting about on your own," Ash mumbled after a while.

"Shut up or you'll be next," Misty responded, pointing at him.

"What?" he cried.

"You heard it. I'm no lady in distress."

"Ha! You'd have to actually _be_ a lady first!" Ash snorted, taking a step in her direction.

"Oh, yeah? I can be a lady when a _true gentleman_ comes in the picture! I don't go around chatting with talking pigs!" She mimicked his actions.

"I'm not a pig!" He closed some more of the distance separating them.

"Are too!"

"Am _not_!"

"_Are too!"_

At this point, their noses where almost touching.

"Guys!" a very relieved Dawn cried out, rushing in their direction. They immediately separated, just realizing how close they were. "Everyone's looking for you. You had us worried!" Then she noticed the drunken one passed out on the grass. "Who's that?"

"Just an asshole," Misty replied with indifference. "Never mind, Dawn, let's get back." Misty grabbed her arm and walked back to the garden. The blue haired girl only had the time to slightly turn her head once more to look at Ash before being dragged away.

Ash stood there for some more time. The drunk had started to snore loudly and his stomach was grumbling when a stumbling Brock found him. To his surprise, Pikachu was in his best friend's shoulder, trying in vain to capture the beer Brock was drinking.

_Great, he's drunk._ Ash neared them.

"Hey Brock, what's up?" he asked casually.

"She dumped me, man!" Brock moaned, teary-eyed.

Then, the former gym leader started to philosophize about the meaning of life without love, of how he was not going to survive without her and how the days were grey and cold without her by his side.

"C'mon Brock, you'll be fine, just give it time!" Ash tried to comfort him, though he didn't really believe it himself.

"Pi pika!" Pikachu agreed.

"She was the one man_, the one_!" Brock groaned again. "Why did I have to ask her to marry me? We were just fine!"

"How long have you two dated? Ash asked, a little curious.

"Almost four years!"

"Oh." Ash winced. "It wasn't your fault, Brocko. I mean, four years is a perfect time!"

"How am I gonna live without her?" he asked no one in particular. Pikachu finally managed to get a grip on Brock's beer and stared with curiosity at it. "Ash, don't you ever let her go like this, you hear me?"

"What do you mean?"

"Misty, man! Don't you ever let her go again, okay?" Ash blushed in surprise. Was he really that obvious? He had told Brock four years ago what he was feeling but… did Brock know that his feelings remained?

"It's complicated," Ash said. "We really shouldn't-"

"Stop making excuses to why you shouldn't," Brock cut him out, rising up his eyebrow in the process. Pikachu sniffed the bottle. "Start finding reasons why you should."

"I wish it was that simple," Ash whispered, mostly to himself. Pikachu licked the bottleneck and made a funny face.

"Pika pikachu," the rodent muttered, but none of them heard him.

"It's up to you, Ash." Brock shrugged. "Now go find Daisy because I can't drive and she's hopefully sober."

Pikachu tried to take a sip of the bottle, but fell backwards due to the added weight. Ash noticed just in time and dived to catch him.

"Not you too!"

* * *

><p><strong>The end of chapter 4!<strong>

**Kudos to you if you knew the song before I announced its name! :D**

**I feel like I've changed this one a lot, but I prefer it this way. Let me know if you have any complaint, though!**

_Love&Music_ for you all,

_C'sMelody_


	6. The Strange Stranger

**Music:**

- "**Nothing Compares to You" - Sinéad O'Connor**

** - *Insert soundtrack for pokémon battles here please***

**Updated!**

* * *

><p><strong>The Strange Stranger<strong>

Since Daisy had left the gym, a week went by.

Misty had been as busy as she could be, always working till late at night and exhausting herself with battles, paperwork and chores. She didn't know how long she could still make it without cracking. Of course, her _other_ problems hadn't left her alone yet. Ash Ketchum was still on Pallet and the fans knew it. The worst part (excluding the fact of him being so close, of course) was that all the girls seemed to have a stupid crush on him. _When did he become an idol anyway?_ she asked herself.

Misty sighed. Cleaning the floor around the pool was such a pain. It was late and there she was, mopping the mess of the day. _I should hire a housemaid!_ her tired brain protested.

After one more hour of cleaning, she was finally satisfied with the results. Her feet started dragging her to bed when she remembered the mail she had ignored that morning. She stumbled into the kitchen, hitting her feet against the table's leg and almost falling.

The redhead grasped the letters, indifferently going through them. She really didn't want to see the bills right now. _Bills, publicity, more bills, bills, an invitation for a restaurant inauguration…_ She stoped. _Um… that's interesting. Tomorrow I'll take a better look at this,_ she decided, throwing it onto the table. _Publicity, more publicity, a letter from Erick, publicity-wait, a letter from Erik?_ She picked it up again quickly, surprised that he had actually written.

She laughed at his salutation. She had told him to call her Misty instead of 'Miss Waterflower', but for what it seemed, he hadn't given up on formalities.

_Dear Miss Misty,_

_I hope everything is fine with you, your pokémon and the gym._

_The other day I caught a Magikarp and some friends told me it was useless. Then I remembered you and your Gyarados. I think I will give it a go!_

_I'm in Pallet and do you know who's here? The great trainer Ash Ketchum! I was so nervous when I asked him for an autograph! He even asked me about my badges and if I had already gone to your gym. He was not surprised when I said you won. He says you're the greatest Water Pokémon Master ever! Ain't that cool? You must feel so honored! By the way, do you know him? Because he spoke like he knew you. Wouldn't it be cool if you two battled?_

_Well, gotta run. Squirtle and I will try the next gym. Wish us luck!_

_Erik_

Misty's face was white. She couldn't believe her eyes.

She read it again.

And again.

After going through it for the fourth time, she took in a big breath and exhaled heavily. What would she say to that little guy now? And did Ash mention her? _No, the kid must have said something about me._ Then she remembered the biggest paragraph: '_He even asked me about my badges and if I had already gone to your gym.'_ So, that meant _Ash _had asked._ 'He was not surprised when I said you won.' Because I'm a good trainer, that's a fact_. She tried to ignore her hopping heart._ 'He says you're the greatest Water Pokémon Master ever!'_ _He never told me that, _she concluded. What the hell was that?

Suddenly, she got all red and couldn't tell if it was anger or simply the mention of his name. Why did he still have that effect on her?

Having no energy left to even give it much thought, the gym leader walked up the stairs like a wobbly drunken person, collapsing into her bed with Erik's letter still in her hand.

* * *

><p><strong>(Earlier that night)<strong>

"Yes, I'm coming tomorrow. Don't be stubborn, I already told you I'm coming, so don't insist! What? No! C'mon, you know me; I love to do those things! Okay, see you tomorrow. Bye."

Brock hung up the phone with a sigh. Misty was so stubborn, even when it came to help. She was tired as hell with all the gym's problems and he had offered to help with the cleaning and cooking. She should have expected that. Now that Cerulean was the most difficult gym, it was usually the last one the trainers went to get the badge and always about this time, but Brock refrained from saying, "I told you so".

He stood up and walked to the kitchen to tell his best friend and Delia that he was finally going to leave. The two of them were sipping some tea and talking peacefully when Brock made his way in, almost stepping on Pikachu's tail. Luckily, the little pokémon saved himself by shouting a warning screech.

"I'm sorry, Pikachu!" Brock apologized, raising his arms in defense, hoping he would not be electrocuted by the yellow mouse.

"Chaa…" Pikachu let go a sigh of relief when he saw his tail was safe from Brock's sneaker.

Still with an apologetic expression, Brock approached mother and son, who had stopped their conversation to look at him.

"Well, I just wanted you to know that I'm leaving tomorrow in early morning," he said.

"Oh, that's a pity!" Delia exlaimed sadly. "We love to have you here." Brock nodded and smiled, truly appreciating her words.

"Why? Where are you going?" Ash asked suspiciously.

Brock sweatdropped and looked in another direction, trying to find an excuse. "Well, I've got some things to do!"

"Like what?" Ash insisted, his innate curiosity showing.

Brock sighed. He wouldn't stop until he knew it, but he couldn't say where he would go the next day - Ash's brain would explode!

"It's private, Ash," Brock offered politely.

"Oh, okay," Ash retorted.

_That's it? No more questions?_ Brock's jaw dropping to the floor as he gazed at Ash. Even Delia seemed to be the slightest bit surprised.

"_What?"_ Ash asked with emphasis. "I've grown up, you know!"

Brock raised his hands in self-defense and replied, "Great, now I'll go to bed before your childish brain takes over again!" He turned away, doing as said, and leaving behind an annoyed Ash.

* * *

><p><strong>(The next day)<strong>

He was strange; wore suspicious clothes in detective style, all brown and black; with black sunglasses (though there was no sun), black gloves (even if it was summer) and a large coat with a big collar that hid most of his face. She could not see his skin, his hair or his eyes. All she could say was that that person was a "he".

That morning had started in the weirdest way possible. After Brock had showed up, no trainer had come in until midday. And then that _stranger_ had decided to arrogantly step in the gym, loudly challenging the gym leader and her fiercest pokémon.

Brock didn't like it, because, as he had said, "it's lunch time and the gym's closing". He was quite right, but Misty couldn't turn down one single challenge. Besides, even if she could, she would _not _turn this one down - that cocky bastard would get his battle and that pride would drown in her pool.

"This match will be a three-on-three between this anonymous trainer and the gym leader of Cerulean, Misty Waterflower. Only the challenger has the right to exchange pokémon during battle. There's no time limit. You may choose your first pokémon," Brock recited, all too used to these phrases.

"Starmie, I choose you!" Misty threw the pokéball right into the water. The red light dissipated, revealing a purple starfish with a bright gem in the center.

On the other side of the pool, a pokéball fell on the red rubber island. Opening, it produced a quite tall, slim, yellow and sheep-like pokémon.

"Ampharos?" Misty whispered in surprise. She didn't get to see evolved pokémon often, especially one of those. Normally, younger trainers went there to try their luck, not a strange smug detective. "It can't frighten us!"

"Ladies first." The stranger bowed, finally emitting some sound. There she was sure he was a man. He had an interesting husky voice with a forced foreign accent, but she couldn't remember if she had ever heard it.

"Okay, Starmie, let's start with Rapid Spin!" Starmie twirled at high velocity towards Ampharos.

"Dodge it, Ampharos!" And so he did and Starmie fell on the water, but on her way back, the purple pokémon hit the island where Ampharos was currently standing. Unfortunately for Misty's Starmie, Ampharos was quick enough to jump to the other island. "Now use Quick Attack!"

"Starmie, Dive!" Ampharos tried to hit Starmie, but the starfish was faster than him and dove under the water, waiting for his trainer's orders.

"Ampharos, stand still and wait."

"Now Starmie, Rapid Spin!"

"Jump and then use Take Down!"

The two pokémon kept attacking and hiding for a few minutes without touching each other. _Why isn't he using any Electric-type moves?_ Misty wondered. _It makes no sense!_

"Starmie, Psychic!"

Ampharos had landed on the nearest island to his trainer. This time, Starmie's attack hit the yellow sheep, causing him to fall backwards and into the water with the impact. "Finish it with another Rapid Spin!"

The stranger smirked. "Thundershock, now!"

"Starmie, get outta-" She couldn't finish the phrase, because Ampharos' attack electrocuted her starfish.

"Starmie cannot continue. The challenger wins the first round," Brock said.

Misty returned and congratulated her pokémon. She had to admit it, he was good. But he wouldn't win this time. She chose her next pokémon.

With a huge and terrifying roar, a blue dragon-like creature got out of the pokéball. Her opponent didn't seem bothered though.

"Bite!"

Gyarados was too quick, and before Ampharos could react, the sea creature already had his teeth around the small pokémon's body. The sheep-like pokémon was knocked out of battle.

"Return, Ampharos," the trainer called coldly. "You have a fast Gyarados," he observed with no apparent emotion, which drove Misty crazy.

"Thank you." She forced herself not to scream in frustration. There was something about him that drove her nuts!

The stranger searched his pockets, then throwing a Luxury Ball into the water.

"Dragonair!" Misty exclaimed, truly astonished. "Aren't they rare?" she asked with interest. He shrugged and Misty clenched her fists. _Down, girl! Keep your shit together._

"Dragonbreath."

"Do the same, Gyarados!"

The beams shocked between the two pokémon, causing an enormous explosion that created a dense grey smoke. Misty thought quickly to protect her pokémon and attack at the same time.

"Quick Gyarados, Dive and Ice Fang!"

Then silence took over the gym.

While the smoke started to vanish, Gyarados had a good vision under the water and slowly approached Dragonair, who, in his turn, glanced frantically everywhere, searching for his opponent. It was too late when the dragon-type realized where he was though, as Gyarados had already attacked. Dragonair cried out in pain.

"Use Dragon Rush you useless reptile!"

"Use Frighten and then Hydro Pump!"

Since Dragonair was still fragilized from the previous hit, Gyarados was the first to move. The dragon-type was immobilized and, as such, the following attack knocked him out of battle.

"Dragonair is unable to battle. The gym leader wins the second match," Brock said. "Challenger, you may choose your last pokémon."

The _stranger_ returned Dragonair with a "humph!" and rummaged through his pockets again. Misty smirked – she always loved to defeat one of those know-it-all trainers. _I wonder what pokémon he will use now… _Finally finding what he wanted, the other trainer released his last pokémon.

"A Tropius?" Misty whispered once again in surprise. "This pokémon is surely not normal around Kanto." She turned to look at Brock, only to notice his expression was similar to hers. The redhead was beginning to feel uneasy about that trainer. She was always ready to defend her gym, but she was never this tough with anyone, because if she were, hardly anyone would ever get a badge. That was the reason why she rarely used Gyarados or his powerful attacks

"Sweet Scent!"

Misty was so distracted thinking that didn't see that one coming and her Gyarados was hit.

"Wash it," she shot back. Gyarados dove and the effect immediately ceased. "Ice Fang!"

"Fly!" the opponent ordered and Tropius moved away from Gyarados.

"Don't let him escape Gyarados! Twister!" Gyarados made the water spin fast, using it to emerge from the pool to hit Tropius.

"Fight back with Leaf Storm!" Tropius created a cyclone full of green leaves that hit Gyarados' Twister. As Gyarados was tired from the two other battles, Tropius' attack overcame Gyarados' and went towards him.

"Quick Gyarados, get out of the way!"

Gyarados did, but Misty hadn't thought about herself and now the leaf tornado aimed for her.

"Misty!" Brock yelled.

She gasped in alarm and, luckily enough, Gyarados quickly put himself in front of the attack again to protect her. It was hit severely and out of the battle instantly.

"Gyarados!" Misty screeched, alarmed. She plunged into the pool and took her loyal pokémon's head on her arms, tears forming in her eyes. "Are you okay?" she asked, concern spread in her voice. The sea snake made a quiet groan in an affirmative way which relieved Misty. "Thank you so much. Now get some rest, sweetie." She took out his pokéball and a red light absorbed Gyarados inside.

Getting out of the pool, her eyes drifted to Brock once more. He worn a very displeased look, and she could tell he was doing his utmost to refrain from giving that arrogant trainer a piece of his mind on how to brew and take care of pokémon. She shared of his feelings, and was now more determined than ever to kick some ass. The gym leader wiped her tears with her arm, standing in her place again, tightly grasping her last pokéball.

"Go, Dewgong!"

"Gong gong!" the aforementioned pokémon exclaimed happily.

"Magical Leaf!"

Tropius released multicolored leaves from his body, pointing towards the white seal.

"Don't let them touch you! Icy Wind!" Misty yelled. Dewgong pointed his horn at the flying opponent and a strong wind with small shiny shards of ice took the leaves back to Tropius. The grass-type lost the balance for a second but then managed to fly still.

"Solarbeam."

_Yes!_ Misty inwardly shouted, tasting victory already. Tropius started to form a small yellow ball in his mouth.

"Ice Beam!" Dewgong quickly threw a blue beam from its horn that striked Tropius and made him fall into the water. "Now quickly before he escapes, Sheer Cold!" Misty cried with enthusiasm. Dewgong froze the entire pool in the exact moment Tropius hit the water, leaving him half in, half out.

The trainer moved nervously around the edge of the pool. "Get out of there with Sunny Day!" he shouted angrily.

Misty didn't like his tone one bit and decided to finish the battle. "Dewgong, finish it with Aurora Beam!"

"Gong gong!" the seal applauded blissfully and released a rainbow beam from the horn in his head aiming for Tropius. A big, loud explosion followed, causing Tropius to hit the wall behind his trainer, and then sliding down to reveal a hole with his body shape marked on the spot.

"Tropius is out. Match and battle go to the Cerulean gym leader, Misty Waterflower!" Brock cried in a much more jovial tone than before.

"Return!" the trainer called with a grim expression.

Misty jumped in joy and held her beloved Dewgong, who was applauding victory in an as just happy fashion as his trainer's. Before she could greet the strange challenger, however, he had already taken off, shutting the door dramatically.

She frowned putting her arms on her hips. "What a sore loser!"

"What a battle!" Brock exclaimed, walking up to Misty. His expression was thoughtful and concerned though.

"Is anything bothering you, Brock?" Misty asked apprehensively.

"His pokémon…" he murmured.

"What?"

"They were not satisfied with their trainer. They weren't even trying their best," Brock whispered thoughtfully. "They aren't happy."

Misty stared at her best friend. She knew, probably better than anyone else, that Brock had a keen, trained eye for pokémon behavior. In all truth, it didn't take an expert to understand that, since the stranger had clearly showed how he treated his pokémon. That alone had made Misty's blood boil, and she could tell Brock shared of her sentiments.

"Better not think about it for much longer, though." Brock sighed. "C'mon, let's get you dried up and then have lunch!"

Misty smiled at him in agreement. To be honest, she had completely forgotten she was soaking wet. On the other hand, lunch sounded just perfect after such a stormy battle. Besides, she would have a lot of cleaning up to do afterwards.

* * *

><p><strong>(Meanwhile)<strong>

"Where the hell did Brock go to so urgently?" Ash pouted. "I had such a great plan to catch him and make him tell me where he was going!"

Pikachu looked up at his trainer, clearly amused, and started to laugh hysterically. He just _knew_ Ash would have to plan something but, of course, he had forgotten one small detail: the alarm clock. Brock had always been a morning person. Ash, however… Well, to put it simple, it was lunch time and he had gotten up five minutes ago.

"Oh, so you think it's funny, huh?" Ash asked in a grumpy tone. Pikachu stole a glance at Ash's face and started laughing again, louder, and holding his belly while rolling on the bed. "We'll see if you find _this_ funny!" the trainer admonished, jumping onto his own bed and tickling Pikachu. The pokémon tickled back. Those actions resulted in a tickle fight that lasted for five minutes, before both fell on their backs, exhausted, with grins on their faces.

"Lunch's ready!" Delia shouted from downstairs.

Ash and Pikachu immediately hopped from the mattress, proceeding to run enthusiastically to the table.

"Hold it, you two!" Delia warned, not the slightest bit amused by their reactions.

Ash and Pikachu moderately sat down (Pikachu on the table), as on cue that their behavior would prove to be exemplar from that moment on.

Delia sighed upon bringing the food and watching her only child swallow the meal in less than a minute.

"Ash, watch your table manners!" Delia scolded. "Do you eat like that in your meetings and another important events?"

"But mom, I'm at home now!" Ash moaned childishly.

"Where's Misty when you need her…?" Delia said in a whisper, resting her chin on her hands.

Ash's heart pumped at the mention of her name. Late did Delia realize her mistake. Ash's expression had changed already when she hid her mouth with her hand. It wasn't dark, gloomy or even grumpy; he had a sad and nostalgic smile on his lips.

"Yeah, Misty would've noticed…" he murmured almost fondly.

An uncomfortable silence took place after that, which Delia decided to interrupt.

"You should go see her." Ash's eyes widdened in surprise. He quickly turned to face his mother. "Don't you think that it's about time?" she asked with a warm smile, a glass of water in her right hand. "It's been four years, sweetie. You finally met her again. Did that feeling change?"

Everything came clear to his head now. Even if he didn't admit it outside, because people thought he was too dense to know love, a part of him had perished four years ago, on the day he left to never return again. But there he was, four years later, still hopelessly in love with her. How frustrating could that be? Though he tried to hate her, erase her memory from his brain and heart or just be mad at her, all he could stupidly do was pokémon battling, training, eating, sleeping, traveling _and _think of her.

_Just how stupid could I have been at the time?_

_He was determinately packing for the sixth time that day. _This is it!_ He had made a mental decision before he could hesitate and change his mind again, like he had the other five times. He had packed and unpacked, while pacing in exasperation, frustation, and with half of a once fulfilled heart._

_Ash was giving up _for the first time in his life_. _Love_ was not a subject for him. If he was studying at school, he would have miserable marks on such complicated and confusing theme. He had it all once, felt the glorious victory in her lips and then lost everything in a few moments. She didn't want him, she had made it pretty clear._

"_Shit!" he swore under his breath, sitting abruptaly on his bed, supporting his head with his hands._ Crying over it won't solve anything! _his messed up brain nagged._ I know, but I can't help how I feel, sorry! _his heart retorted, annoyed at its eternal rival._

"_Honey?" Delia popped in with an uneasy expression._

"_Hi, mom," Ash greeted in the middle of an exhale._

"_Are you really leaving?" She had gone straight to the point this time, he noticed._

"_Yes! New adventures and new pokémon!" He tried to sound excited, but his mother knew best._

"_What happened?" Delia sat beside him, asking that question for the sixth time._

"_Well, Professor Oak told me about this new type of pokémon in a new place called-"_

"_Honey, I know where you're going, you've said it five times already," Delia cut him off, still with a worried expression._

"_Did I?" Ash chuckled nervously. His mom nodded. "Sorry, mom." He made weak smile while staring at his knees sheepishly. Delia smiled softly and embraced Ash against her._

"_Look, sweatheart, time can heal anything, but never erase memories or true feelings. Don't forget that, okay?" she said with that warm smile of hers._

"_Thanks mom, I'll keep that in mind," Ash replied honestly. "I just hope you're right and it eventually fades…"_

"_Let's wait and find out."_

_One hour later, he was leaving with Pikachu on his shoulder and no usual smile on his face. He was by himself this time, to mature and to grown, but mostly to prove his mom and himself that he was capable of that – that he was capable of something._

"Are you okay?" Delia shook him lightly on the shoulder. Ash was palid.

"No," he exhaled and relief washed over him. After so many years of pretending everything was okay, finally being honest felt _relaxing_.

Delia smiled. _Finally_, she thought, standing up.

"You'll probably have to do something about it then," the mother said.

Pikachu, who was silent until that moment, observing everything attentively, nodded in agreement with Delia.

Ash nodded in agreement too. "I have…" he whispered. "But first…" Delia and Pikachu perked up. "I want dessert!"

Pikachu and Delia fell back and off the chair.

* * *

><p><strong>That's it.<strong>

**So, what do you think? **

**Who's this mysterious cocky trainer and what is his business in Cerulean gym?**

**And it seems Ash has finally made up his mind!**

_Love&Music_ for my beloved readers,

_C'sMelody_


	7. Treasures and Weaknessess

**Hello!**

**Music:**

- "**Storm" (3****rd**** movement of "Summer") - Vivaldi**

- "**Crossfire" - Scorpions with Berlin Philarmonic Orchestra**

**And before we continue with the story, I want to congratulate prince_of_earth36 on his anniversary (told you I wouldn't forget!)**

**Updated!**

* * *

><p><strong>Treasures and Weaknesses - Everyone Have Theirs<strong>

Ash had left home feeling uneasy about two hours ago. He was heading slowly by foot through the path of Pallet Town to Cerulean City to visit a certain redhead to finally, after four years, have a serious conversation. That was the main reason why he was walking so slowly. His best friend and first pokémon, the electric mouse Pikachu, was walking happily beside him, excited and overjoyed with the idea of seeing his 'Pikachupi' again after so long.

They had finally reached the entrance to Viridian Forest and had started penetrating it when, suddenly, Pikachu's ponty long hears and thunder-shaped tail lifted anxiously. Ash noticed this immediately by out the corner of his eyes and stopped along with Pikachu.

"What's it buddy? Is there anything wrong?" Ash asked in a whisper.

"Pi Pikapi." He nodded and sniffed the air around them. Then the rodent stopped in alarm and stared at him.

The raven haired pokémon trainer didn't need any more than that look. They were surrounded and it was not only by wild pokémon. He reached slowly to his pokéballs on his belt and said a little louder, "Come out. I know you're there. Show yourselves!"

"Well, looks like the twerp's Pikachu can still smell ya guys!" a familiar voice came from nowhere.

"Oh, that's right Meowth, so they'd better prepare for trouble!" an also known female voice joined in.

"As they're surrounded, they should make it double," a third, male voice added.

"Not again…" Ash sighed and rolled his eyes. _After all these years, they still have that hideous motto?_ he thought, bewildered.

"Pi Pikachu!" his electric mouse friend cried angrily.

Then Team Rocket started to recite the motto like the old times. Ash just paid attention when they reached the names part, due mostly to the spectacle in front of him – nothing that he hadn't seen them doing before, though.

"Jessie!" she announced and appeared on top of a tree, throwing two branches away as she hopped on the ground in front of Ash and Pikachu.

"James!" The man copied the woman's moves.

"Team Rocket, blast off at the speed of light!"

"Surrender now or prepare to fight, fight, fight!"

"Meowth, dat's right!" the cat pokémon finished.

"Seriously, what do you guys want?" Ash asked impatiently as he rolled his eyes and crossed his arms in front of his chest.

"Don't pretend you don't know, twerp!" Meowth shouted.

"Do you still think you can catch Pikachu after all this time?" he questioned, quite amused. Pikachu's behavior was identical to his trainer's.

"We don't want _just_ your Pikachu," Jessie replied with an evil laughter.

"We want all you rare pokémon!" James joined in, with a rose on his left hand, as usual.

"We know ya've been doing well as a famous trainer," Meowth added.

"Give us your Pokémon!" Jessie demanded.

"As if!" Ash shot back, rolling his eyes once more.

Yes, it was true he had been training a lot for the last four years. By himself. Depending on no one but himself and his loyal pokémon. He had caught and trained several pokémon intently on very different and hard environments. Ash had never given up on his dream of becoming a Master. And he was currently carrying old friends with him to train as well.

"If you want them, come and get 'em!" he teased with a smirk on his face.

"I must warn you we're not alone," James admonished.

Ash and Pikachu subtly glanced from out the corner of their eyes to find other Team Rocket members, eyes hidden from their hats, evil smiles on the faces of some, others with a grave expression. All of them looked alike on the black uniform with a big 'R' printed on the shirt and hat. There were more men than women. Ash counted ten. Pikachu, however, counted thirty – three pokémon each one of them should at least possess.

Loads of Pokémon were released from the Rocket's pockets the next moment. Pokémon such as Raticate, Arbok, Weezing, Seviper, Golbat, Crobat, Mightyena, Houndoom, Luxray, Murkrow, Glameow and Skuntank were comming out from the pokéballs.

"Get out guys!" Ash exclaimed as he threw five pokéballs in the air, revealing Bulbasaur, Kingler, Snorlax, Noctowl and Typhlosion.

Snorlax looked around himself, in the mood for a nap. Usually, he would just lay back in boredom, but now he could see the situation was complicated and Ash needed him more than ever. So, with a growl, the giant pokémon stood up, ready to fight alongside his fellow pokémon and team members.

And then, the battle began - a quite quick one to say the least.

"Typhlosion, use your Flamethrower to build a circle around us. Bulbasaur, Sleep Powder! Snorlax, don't let any of them get past it! Kingler, I want you to keep the fire in control and to not let anyone in. And Noctowl…" Ash kneeled down to whisper the rest into the owl pokémon's ear. "Take Pikachu with you," he finished. _This will take some time, so if I want to make it on time, I better have a back-up plan._

Ash's pokémon were fast to do as their master ordered. Noctowl soon lifted up on air with Pikachu on his back and disappeared of sight. Typhlosion's flames hit the ground around them and several Team Rocket pokémon were burnt – some passing out immediately. The flying types were hit by Kingler's attacks or Snorlax's. Bulbasaur finally released the powder and another amount of pokémon were instantly put to asleep. Other than that, Typhlosion was quick to dismiss - by air - part of the Team Rocket members, the rest of being left asleep by the power.

The situation seemed to be under control until some sand attacks arrived and extinguished the circle of fire created by Typhlosion. _Damn it, _Ash thought. _Please, hurry up guys._ Too bad for them, though - Kingler shot a Watergun and Bulbasaur used its Razor Leaf to help, wounding the sand-types.

There was just the original trio left.

"Now's our turn!" Jessie exclaimed, ready to throw a pokéball in the air when-

"Wait!" Meowth interrupted.

"_What?_" Jessie urged, clearly not happy by the interruption.

"The twerp's all by himself!" he exclaimed, pointing to the young adult in front of them as if Ash was the last wonder of the world.

"Meowth sure's gotta point!" James agreed, also stunned.

"Well, well, what happened to the womanizer? The tall, eye-less one? What's his name? Rock?" Jessie mocked.

"It's Brock and it's none of your business!" an angered Ash replied.

Jessie dramatically gasped and went on, "What about that redhead with super short temper, cerulean eyes and a baby pokémon always in her arms?"

"Yeah, did she break up with ya?" Meowth joined in, and together the cat pokémon and Jessie made a comical laughing face.

Ash's heart pounded and he gulped. They had aimed for the soft spot and hit it right. The raven haired trainer gazed down at his sneakers in an attempt to hide his facial expression. That comment had really gotten to him, they could see that. The duo's face expressions changed to a mix of surprise and confusion. Wasn't he going to reply?

"She did," James whispered just as bewildered in a small voice, but he wasn't making fun of the young trainer. Actually, there was a bit of sadness in his voice. Deep down inside, the three of them always wanted the two stubborn heads to admit their feelings and finally have a happy ending. So, what they were waiting for was some sarcastic reply like: "No, my girlfriend is just fine, thank you," or, "Shut up, you guys. She didn't leave me!" or even the denial one, alongside with a blush, "What are ya talking about? We're… We're not lovers!" So that was just shocking.

"She didn't…!" he started, but stopped himself, clenching his fists and opting for, "That's none of your business!"

"Oh, c'mon now, don't tell me you're still in deep denying, little twerp? Or should I say tall young twerp now? Has the show finally allowed you to grow up? Physically I can say they did, the brain is another subject I won't discuss with someone who has none. Ain't that amusing…" Jessie trailed off with a sigh, and Ash jerked his head up to give her a dark glare. "Anyways, it's not even fun to do this anymore with a depressed young adult!" Jessie concluded matter-of-factly.

"What do you mean with that?" Ash asked, brows furrowed in an attempt to sound cold and firm, though inside he just wanted to yell back at Jessie for insulting him and bring Misty to the argument.

"Oh, you're such an idiot! Tell him James!" she groaned dangerously. James' sweat dropped in the middle of his nervous chuckles. How clueless could that boy _still _be?

"Well, what Jessie here's trying to say is that you and the twerp girl always had _extra-special _feelings for each other and have been in constant denial since."

Ash's face turned to an incredible red tone. All his pokémon were staring at him and nodding knowingly. _Traitors_, Ash thought, sweatdropping. You could also say Bulbasaur was smirking at his trainer's blush.

"I think ya got dat one right guys!" Meowth exclaimed with a short laugh after taking a glance at Ash's face.

"It's…" Team Rocket and all the Pokémon still standing focused their attention on Ash, mostly because his voice was a mere whisper, "… not like that." And then he clenched his knuckles again.

"Don't play dumb," Jessie said while crossing her arms over her chest. "I know how it is when a girl's in love, you can simply tell by the look in her eyes. And you, twerp, sound about just as in love with her as she's with you." Then she nodded approvingly at her own argument.

"Howdya know?" Meowth asked with an evil smirk. "Have you ever been in love, Jessie?" James also turned to her and watched as Jessie's cheeks became a slight pink and she punched Meowth hard on the head.

"Shut it, Meowth, I just know!" she shrieked at the teary figure laid on the ground.

"Okay, okay! Ya didn't need to get so touchy all of a sudden!" the cat pokémon shouted back, standing up and gently rubbing his head.

"Why don't you two just calm down?" James peacefully suggested, stepping forward towards the duo that was already sending loathful glares at each other.

"DON'T YOU TELL US TO CALM DOWN!" they yelled - heads bigger than usual - at a poor James whose sweat dropped as reply.

When they finally took notice, Ash was walking away, many steps ahead of them.

"Hey, what do you think you're doing?" Jessie asked and ran after him, James and Meowth at her heels.

"Getting outta here!" Ash replied without turning back and speeding up his own pace.

Then, a figure landed from the sky close to Ash, with Pikachu on his back and Noctowl by his side. Ash petted it on the head. "Glad you could come, Pidgeot."

"Pidgeot Pidgeot!" the bird exclaimed happily, holding Ash with his wings.

"Good job, you guys! Now's time for a rest, Noctowl," Ash praised. He took a glance at Team Rocket, hopelessly trying to reach him and smirked. _Good ol' times!_

In a last attempt, the team jumped up to reach an already flying Pidgeot, but they weren't close enough, because by the time they did, the flying-type had already lifted up from the ground to the bright, cloudless, blue skies. That lead Team Rocket to run with all their might after Ash, shouting promises of revenge and something about, "We'll get your Pikachu and all your other rare pokémon!" which turned out to be a waste of time, since not long after, Pidgeot was just a shadow in the sky.

* * *

><p>It was already night when Ash arrived at Cerulean city. His heart was beating so fast from anticipation he thought it would explode. But something wasn't right. There were people rushing to the city's gym, and the town itself had a bad aura attached to it. He felt his own breath caught up in his throat. Pikachu was also restless; he could <em>smell<em> the air was different. Something was off.

"Follow the crowd," he merely said to Pidgeot, who did as told.

Once they got closer, Ash could see a huge crowd around Cerulean's Gym. There were TV stations, radio, newspapers, magazines – summing up, media was there. Something was definetely different. But what it was… Ash couldn't just put his finger on it. That's until Pikachu pointed his little paw forward.

"Pika!"

The raven haired trainer could now see what was wrong - there was a huge hole on the other side of the roof of the gym. With no second thoughts, he incited the flying-type to get inside.

"Oh, look, that guy's getting inside the gym!" a man commented from the crowd.

Then, some fangirl gasped. "But that's _the _Ash Ketchum! Oh my God! What's he doing here?"

"Are you filming that, guys? Are you? We'll have such exclusive news! Ash Ketchum for his love, Misty Waterflower!" some reporter said.

"But is she okay?" a young girl asked her mommy.

"She will be, dear," the mother tried to calm her daughter. "Now that Ash Ketchum has arrived, everything will be fine."

Ash didn't even bother to listen to any of those comments; he just wanted to clear everything up, to see her and that everything was okay. To be assured it was just a tree that had fallen on the roof, or that Gyarados had lost his temper and had hyperbeamed the roof. Yeah, that was a plausible possibility in our hero's mind.

Once they got in, you would have to consider which crowd was the loudest - if the people standing outside, asking and waiting for answers; or all the water-types that were somehow restless, especially the giant snake, Gyarados. The only human figure was a clearly nervous Brock, wandering around the room with a phone on his ear and gesticulating furiously.

"I don't care, okay? Just do something about it!" Ash heard him say. Brock then turned around and finally noticed Ash standing there, waiting for him to finish. "Okay, yes, I'll keep in touch. Tell me if anything changes. Bye."

"What's with all of this, Brock?" Ash asked carefully, glancing around him in hopes to find something, to find _her_.

"The Press' gone wild since this afternoon. People have been trying to get in at all costs. I don't know how you got in, since Gyarados has been so out of himself, water-gunning anyone who approaches that bloody hole," Brock hissed half-heartedly. He sounded tired and a lot older than he actually was.

"I guess that's because he actually knows me," Ash muttered thoughtfully, staring at a distressed Gyarados then shaking his head sadly. "But that's not the point, what happened here? What's that hole? What caused it?" he asked quickly. _Where is she? _was the mute question that played inside his head.

"Whoa, slow down, cowboy! One question per second." The eldest of the two sighed after forcing a small laugher.

Ash took a better look at his best friend. Brock appeared to be so old right now. He wore the same kind of clothes, the same hair style, but his facial expression and bags under his eyes showed all the anguish he had been put through.

"To answer your questions, Team Rocket made that stupid hole hours ago," Brock finally revealed.

Ash didn't care to answer that. He was too busy making his eyes wander around in hope to find the only sight that would calm him.

"She's not here, Ash, you may as well stop looking," Brock stated cooly. Something in his voice made Ash stiff. It just didn't feel _right_.

"What do you mean with 'she's not here'? She's the gym leader after all. _Where is she?_" he asked vehemently. "Has she gone shopping? Is she talking with the press? Is she calling her sisters? _Where _is she?"

Brock couldn't and wouldn't blame him for this tone of voice that might be confused with disrespect. After all, he knew his best friend too well to recognize the agony and urgency in knowing where Misty was. No, he blamed himself for not being quick enough, strong enough.

"Misty's been…" Brock started in a whisper. Ash got closer to listen better. "She's been…"

"What?" Ash urged.

"Well…" Brock sighed.

"Just tell me!" the trainer exploded.

"It's a long story… Come inside, I'll explain."

* * *

><p><em>Brock was polishing everything around him, quickly and efficiently, whilst Misty was taking care of the pool, something she never trusted anyone else to do, not even Brock. Everything was ordinarily normal. When, suddenly, a loud, bomb-like sound filled everyone's ears. The breeder immediately ran towards the sound's source to see the redhead already there, shouting at someone. <em>

_"I won't tell you where he is because I don't know!" the gym leader cried._

_"Lies'll lead you nowhere," a grave male voice said, coming from where the hole was, looking down on her with disdain. _

_"So does your kind of attitude," she replied and crossed her arms over her chest proudly. Brock rushed to her side._

"_Oh, looky here, we have an intruder," a female voice observed, right next to the man._

"_You're the only ones intruding!" Brock shot back. "Get lost!"_

_"I'll repeat_ once more, _for you must be half-deff._ Where is he_?_" _the same man asked once again, this time with more emphasis._

_"I. Don't. Know. And you can bet that even if I did, I'd never tell you!" she yelled defiantly._

_"Weird, huh? I heard rumors about his return to Kanto. And I thought you two were supposed to be best friends, lovers even," the woman commented. Even in the dark, Brock could tell the redhead was blushing._

_"We're not. Why don't you drop dead?" she shot coldly._

"_Really?" The man snorted. "Then he won't mind if we take you with us, I suppose."_

_Misty didn't answer that, she didn't have the time to. After saying that, something that Brock's eyes couldn't catch pulled and lifted her up towards them._

_Brock, as fast as he could, tried to catch her, but in vain. Something struck him on the chest, and he went flying backwards, roughly hitting the board of the pool._

_When he was able to stand up, he saw the two intruders with Team Rocket's uniform and an angry, yet scared, Misty wrapped up with a rope._

_"You," the man said, pointing a finger at him, and this time Brock thought he recognized his voice, but he wasn't sure where he had heard it before. "You'll inform Ash Ketchum that we have his precious treasure with us." Then he let go of a paper that danced around the air softly. Brock caught it and glared at them._

_"Let her go!" he shouted._

_"I don't think so," the woman said with an evil laughter. The breeder quickly reached for his pocket, taking a pokéball and getting ready to throw it. "I wouldn't do it if I were you. You might get the girl killed," she added, a knife on her hand, dangerously approaching it to Misty's neck. Brock clenched his knuckles and put the pokéball back on its place._

_"Now be a good man and deliver that to him. And don't forget to mention that if he doesn't show up_ alone, _she'll get killed. He has until 3 a.m. to find us," the man demanded coldly with a smirk._

_"Don't do it, Brock! It's clearly a trap!" Misty shouted, hopelessly trying to get free from the ropes._

_"And now we'll go. Bye-bye." The woman mockingly waved and then they were gone, just like the wind. _

_No…_ was Ash's first thought. _No way… There's no way my Misty would be kidnapped… right? After all, she's the strongest girl I know… she'd beat them up with her mallet… and she's got a super powerful water pokémon team with her. That can't be…_ He realized now he was shaking. Brock touched his shoulder tentatively. Ash gazed up at him, speechless.

"The note they left… Here..." the breeder added with a sympathetic look, reaching for his pocket and pulling out a creasy single paper with a short message written on it. Ash read it quickly.

_We've got your most precious treasure. _

_If you value her life, meet us at the Tower of Doom and hand us your rare pokémon in exchange._

_You've got till 3 a.m._

_Come alone. _

_T.R._

Then, he read again, slower this time, to be sure he got it right. When it was too much for him to handle, he just turned around and started stomping his way towards Pidgeot.

"Ash, just where the hell do you think you're going?" Brock asked.

"I'll get her back," he retorted, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"That's a trap for sure! You're just gonna fall right into it!" the brunette tried again, louder this time.

"And what am I _supposed_ to do? Just sit here waiting for her to come back by herself? Or to wait for them to _kill _her?" he turned around with a mad look on his face.

"Pi pikachu, Pikapi" Pikachu tried to appease his trainer, without much success. Ash would always be the stubborn, impulsive boy they new.

"…" Brock didn't dare to reply, looking down guiltily at his feet instead.

"I'm tired of this! I won't leave her a second time, not until she screams at the top of her lungs for me to. That's what I came here to do and it ain't gonna be Team Rocket that's gonna stop me!"

A feeble smile graced Brock's lips for just a second. Now _that_ was the Ash Ketchum he knew; risking his neck for his loved ones, no matter how much it took and never once pointing his finger accusingly at Brock, though he could have and would be quite right. Sure enough, that was what Brock most admired about the kiddo. _Wait, he's not a kid anymore_, he told himself. _Screw that, he's still one to me_.

"Wait, Ash."

"_What?" _The trainer turned around impatiently.

"You're not leaving without the whole amount of research I've been doing, neither without revising your current team," the breeder said with a knowing smile. The pokémon trainer smiled back, a clear 'thank you' in his eyes.

Then, Ash, Brock and Pikachu entered the kitchen once more, this time to plan the rescue of the Tomboyish Mermaid.

_Just wait Mist, I'll get ya back, I promise!_

* * *

><p><strong>TACHACHACHAAAN! ~ also known as Beethoven's 5th symphony (1st movement).<strong>

**And so Misty has been kidnapped by some members of Team Rocket! Can you guess who they are? **

**Now Ashy-boy will have quite a lot of work to do by himself. Good luck, buddy!**

_Love and Music for you all,_

_C'sMelody_


	8. The Tower of Doom - part I

**Hello!**

**Music:**

- "**Hurricane" - Scorpions with Berlin Philarmonic**

- "**The Battle" - from **_**The Chronicles of Narnia**_** soundtrack****(Harry Gregson-Williams)**

**(I know I've been into Scorpions lately. Sorry, they're my childhood band and I just came back from a wonderful concert in France! :P)**

**Updated!**

* * *

><p><strong>The Tower of Doom – part 1<strong>

It was raining heavily on that stormy summer night. The sky was dark and threatening, filled with sinister clouds, and you could say it matched our hero's mood perfectly.

Ash Ketchum was flying on the back of his loyal Pidgeot once more, after a brief rest on Cerulean Gym. The bird pokémon had insisted that Misty was also his friend, so it was only fair for him to go save her as well. And even when Ash talked back with the fact that they had been travelling for hours to Cerulean, the bird responded he was used to long flights and that he was capable of much more. This mild argument had resulted from a third party's involvement that functioned as translator - Pikachu.

Concerned as Ash might be, this gave him an advantage – he could still use another six pokémon - Pikachu obviously included - because Pidgeot was not formally his pokémon anymore. Said thunder-type pokémon was currently under Ash's jacket, resting for the battle that was sure to come, sheltered from the storm.

_The Tower of Doom is one of Team Rocket's hiding places we know of, though nobody knows its exact location. It's not as important as their Headquarters, but it is undoubtedly well equipped, so please be careful, Mr. Ketchum, _Agent Jenny had told him by phone after Ash had asked the police to not get involved.

As a matter of fact, Ash had made a lot of phone calls that evening, including to Professor Oak, begging him to keep his mother safe on his lab that night whilst changing his current team.

_Please be careful, my boy. It is a high risk, even for you, to deal with Team Rocket by yourself. I know what you must be thinking, but I won't try to dissuade you, neither will your mother. Both of us know how persistent and brave you are. So, I wish you the best of luck, and please bring Miss Waterflower back with you._ A small smile lit up on his face after remembering that conversation.

_No one knows the exact location, but I did tons of research, and it seems like there's an area that uses too much energy compared to its surroundings, which means, the sea._ Brock informed with a smirk, pointing to the map in front of them, clearly proud of his research._ We know they took her to the most nearby area, so that's where I think she'll most likely be. Plus, the other hiding places we're aware of would just be too far or too easy to find and get in._ Ash had presented him with a big smile then, visibly thanking him for such valuable information, but Brock wasn't done yet. _But Ash, there's one thing here that really bugs me. No one has ever seen the place, and everyone that was too close always mentioned ghosts or were never seen again after trying to get in._ Ash had gazed at him with an unspoken question, to which Brock answered immediately. _Yes, I'm guessing that's caused by ghost-types._ That had influenced the choice of a member of the team.

Now, when all around him was darkness, he couldn't help but to feel intrigued and a tiny bit scared. For her. Would he make it on time? And what if right on this quiet moment, Misty was being killed or tortured? _What if I can't see or be with her again?_ Ash's body went rigid with that though, and he squeezed his fists and eyes shut, hoping to cast that image away. No, that was _not_ the time to be insecure, he had to save her - he just _had _to. After all, there was no way he would live on a world without her again after those hellish years.

_Dear, I'm proud of you and I believe in you. Please be careful out there. Come back home safe and sound, both of you. _Those were his mother's wishes, and he could only imagine the effort she had had to put in order to refrain from asking him not to go. Then again, he guessed she knew that the police wouldn't be any good either. And, on top of it all, his mother loved Misty.

Finally, he recalled the last conversation between him and his best friend Brock.

_Please, take good care of them if anything happens to me, _he had asked.

The breeder had shoved it away as if Ash was being delusional. _You're _the_ Ash Ketchum, one of the most well-known trainers ever. And you're going to rescue Misty Waterflower, one of the most famous gym leaders and water pokémon trainers ever; one of your best friends and not-so-secret love. You're gonna be just fine. You have to, so you two can get married and give me tons of nephews and nieces! _

Ash had gone scarlet, nearly fainting from such an awkward talk, and promptly told Brock to shut the hell up and give him the map. Even now, his cheeks were getting that rosy tone typical of embarrassment.

_Just bring her back._

"I will," he whispered to the wind, a confident smirk on his lips.

* * *

><p>A muffled scream filled the almost empty room Misty was currently prisoner of. She couldn't see anything, the pain was too much to handle. She had had her wrists and ankles wrapped to the wall for hours and all her body felt stiff and unconfortable. However, she would have that rather than her punishment for every time she didn't answer their questions - being electrocuted. After getting lots of thundershocks from Pikachu for years, the first ones had not been really that bad, but they were changing the magnitude of that devilish machine. Misty knew she would be damned if they saw her cry. She refused, she was way too proud to, and even if she wasn't, she would <em>not<em> give them that pleasure.

"I'm sorry, I don't think I was clear enough. Let's try again, shall we?" the male got closer venomously. "_Where is he?"_ Silence was what he got, as Misty once more refused to answer.

His female partner stepped into the room through a door the prisoner girl once could see, walking to him.

"No answer, I presume?" she inquired indifferently. The man just muttered something under his breath. Misty acknowledged it as a grumpy 'yes'. "Pity. The girl's keeping all that information to herself and the boy doesn't even give a damn about her." She sighed dramatically.

"It doesn't matter," he firmly cut in. "Neither will survive to tell the story." He smirked maliciously.

"What… what do you mean?" Misty asked, her voice husky in a mere whisper. Looking slightly up, she glanced at the couple cruelly smirking at her and felt a huge urge to punch them.

Apprehension took over her just by looking at their facial expressions, somehow telling her they would not mind getting their hands dirty with blood. An unpleasant shiver ran through all of her body with that thought.

"Oh, poor thing, she doesn't know, does she?" The woman giggled.

"When your friend gives us the pokéballs with those rare pokémon, both your lives will come to an end." He cackled, making Misty frown in disgust.

"That is, if he ever finds this place!" the female added, their chuckles increasing in volume.

"You two are delusional. Let me out!" she shouted back.

"Believe me, I'd love to, you're just too annoying." The woman faked a sigh of boredom. "But it would ruin our plan."

"Yeah, the boy must see you're alright so he falls into the trap."

"So you are complete idiots," Misty stated neutrally, making both of them send deeply irritated and offended looks towards her. She struggled to keep her voice in a normal range. "There's nothing in this world Ash would exchange his pokémon for."

"We'll see about that. Heroes are all very predictable," he said, turning and walking towards the door to finally leave her alone.

Misty started to feel relieved - she had escaped from the electroshocks this time, they had forgotten. Well, they, or is it him? When she felt the pain again, this time even greater, she decided that the woman hadn't forgotten about the punishment. Though now it looked more like a twisted way of having fun. Then, with a grin, she was gone out of the room, turning off the lights and leaving Misty by her own once more.

Her vision was blurry, her eyes empty, lifeless and hopeless. Her head was slightly inclined to the right and downwards to the floor, leaving her hair hanging free and wildly around her body; her knees were too weak to support her own weight. If it weren't for the constant pain in her tightly tied wrists, she would have fainted already.

The redhead's brain was an incredible mess, the only clear thought belonging to Ash, ironically. She could have smirked at her own misery, but in those circumstances, she would not dare. Mind you, her body did not seem to be able to move at the moment. Suddenly and silently, Misty admitted to herself that it didn't matter what happened to her as long as he was safe.

Silence was the only thing filling her ears, his voice echoing only in her mind. _Will you… will you dance with me? _Now she cursed the moment she had not accepted his invitation to dance, because she would certainly die without locking hands with him again, or be held in a bear embrace by his arms…

And she wanted to cry for nothing and everything, yell at them to stop torturing her.

And she wanted to give up, to be dead right now, and to not have the right to feel anymore, because everything was just too painful for her to bear.

Because it wasn't worth it anymore. She had nothing left, had she?

_No._

* * *

><p>The rain outside was starting to diminish significantly and now the full moon was completely exposed, out of the passenger gray clouds that seemed to have disappeared from sight in the last hour or so.<p>

Ash's mind was elsewhere, working on plans to get Misty out of the tower without having to give any of his friends in return. Mostly because there was no way in hell he would do that. Our hero had a plan actually, but was not sure if that would be enough to fool Team Rocket - after all, they were not the usual trio, consisting of Jessie, James and Meowth. How he'd prefer to be stuck with them right now! At least there would be no reason to worry.

That was when his thoughts were interrupted by Pidgeot's abrupt stop in mid-air, gazing uncertainly at something beyond them. Ash noticed this immediately and looked down at Pikachu, who was already staring in the same direction as the flying-type. _Time for plan A, _the raven haired young man thought, taking a pokéball from his belt and enlarging it.

"Go, Noctowl," he called, never taking his eyes off of what was in front of him, which was yet nothing. The owl pokémon got out, sparkling on his shiny self and stood there, waiting for Ash's commands. "Foresight."

Noctowl's eyes gleamed red and he aimed forward, revealing a giant tower surrounded by lots of ghost-types, such as Ghastly, Haunter, Gengar, Shuppet, Misdreavus, Mismagius, Drifloon, Drifblim, Yamask, Frillish and Jellicent. _So Brock was right after all…_ Ash barely got the time to gaze at the tower - a high, thin building whose top was a round sphere; when the phantom pokémon turned their attention to the intruders and charged automatically.

_Time for some action._

"Noctowl, take Pikachu! Use Confusion and, Pikachu, use Electro Ball against those Frillish and Jellicent on the lower line!" Urgently, Ash took another two pokéballs from the belt and looked at them apprehensively. Then, he sighed and realeased the dragon pokémon, Garchomp and the ice-type, Glalie, that no longer froze Ash whenever he pleased. "Guard Pikachu's and Noctowl's back and take the upper line!" Ash told them, to which the pokémon attended to obediently.

Luckily for them, those ghost types weren't that tough. They had the numbers, but Ash's team had the experience and years of training they didn't possess and, slowly, one by one, the enemies' defense mechanism was falling down. Pikachu's powerful electric attacks were rapidly bringing the water-ghost types down, while Noctowl practically danced on air, avoiding their attacks, and smartly confused his foes, that at some moment began fighting each other. Glalie's ice attacks were having great impact on several Drifloon and Drifblim. But, the star was Garchomp, whose violent attacks and speed instantly knocked down a handful of opponents.

Nevertheless, what really bewildered Ash was why we didn't see any Team Rocket member coming out of the building, or Misty. Something was very fishy in that creepy tower. That was until the raven haired trainer took a glance up to where Garchomp was, and finally noticed the highest point of the tower.

"Pidgeot, fly higher!" he told the flying-type, looking down at him. He seemed to be undisturbed by all the flying he had been doing in the last hours, but Ash guessed it was because of Pidgeot being used to be in the wild and having to fly great distances in short-time, plus fighting for his own territory.

Soon enough, our hero saw the most horrifying view of his life through the giant windows of the highest point of the Tower of Doom.

Misty.

Misty was wrapped up in a column.

Writhing from obvious pain.

Misty was suffering.

His Misty…

_No._

* * *

><p>"He's here," the female whispered in his ear, after walking into the room and stopping right behind him. The man didn't bother move a muscle, rather glancing at the girl in front of him incessantly. Just when he finally felt a small quake under his feet he did answer her.<p>

"I know, I've heard him," he simply replied, slowly.

"Shall I kill her now?" she asked, her lips curving into a smirk, eyes hidden under her bangs' shadow.

"No, we'll need her," he answered with the same tone, his eyes never leaving Misty. Soon the female's smirk turned into a grimace of confusion and anger.

"But when-"

"Be patient," he cut her off. Said female abruptly crossed her arms over her chest in a pout-like manner, a frustrated groan escaping her throat.

"You're too patient! It won't do any good if he frees her; he'll have no reason to give us his rare pokémon!" she argumented, and this time it was his turn to sigh in frustration.

"Neither will he if she's dead! Then what would he exchange his pokémon for?" he spat back, clearly irritated by her disturbing behavior.

"His life!" she shouted in a matter-of-factly way.

"He would just fly away from here," his tone gave away that he wouldn't change his mind. "Aren't you familiar with heroes' weaknesses? They all fall for it when something dear to them is at risk; they all act recklessly and are vulnerable in these situations."

Misty was awake, or more conscious since the female's first words - _He's here_. She found herself listening to the rest of the conversation-argument and felt nauseous with fear. But if Ash was there, it meant something, right?

The two of them were fiercely arguing, almost looking like they wanted to rip each other's heads off. The woman was frantically gesticulating, trying to give her speech more emphasis, yelling her vocal strings' out. The man was by far more calm and cold. His voice had risen as well, but still not stepping on the line of screaming.

However, as every other stupid argument, it went wrong. The woman started to pass to the physical action and tried to reach the bottom that shocked Misty, whose terror increased by that sight. Surprisingly enough, the man stopped her, grabbing her arm and pushing her out of the way. The struggling they were doing was not, by any means, helping Misty's spirit, because the hideous woman had been close enough to reach the bottom several times, and the gym leader feared the worst.

And she was right.

Soon after the argument began, Misty was getting all those electroshocks again, and it was worse, in a way she didn't believe possible. That is until now, when all her body was shouting in pain, feeling as if the flesh was to be cut up, ripping itself out of her, begging whatever the cause was, to stop. The woman was grinning maliciously and triumphantly, watching Misty squirming in pain.

"What are you doing?" the other one asked.

"Shut up, you incompetent!" she growled. "This way is faster!"

The man interrupted her by pressing the button once more, stopping the eletroshocks instantly. Then the woman angrily kicked it with her fist, causing Misty to scream again. And they continued on this vicious circle, until…

_Garchomp, Dragon Rush!_

_**BAM!**_

Garchomp made way into the room violently, Ash following on Pidgeot, with Pikachu on his shoulder, cheeks already warming up for the battle. Ash had an incredibly angry face. Now, the building was surrounded by Ash's team that, I may had, were pretty much pissed as well.

"Well, well, look who we've got here! Isn't it-"

"_Let her go_," he demanded firmly and quite threatening, making the loathful woman flinch a little. He then glanced at Misty, weakly trying to put herself together, and he just wanted to punch those two until they were feeling exactly as her.

"Hand us your rare pokémon first!" She smirked.

"As if!"

"Then, watch her die." She approached the machine, turning it to the maximum potency, as Ash's eyes widened in terror.

Just when he thought that was it, Glalie interfered, using an unrequested but welcomed Ice Beam on the machine. Steam started to form, clicks of misfunction coming in a crescendo until it cracked, the system loudly exploding. With that, Misty's ankles and wrists were freed and she started falling forward, almost hitting the floor, hadn't Pidgeot's Agility kicked in just in time.

"Hang in there Mist!" Ash almost begged once receiving her on his arms, completely horrified by her state. He took his usual blue jacket off and covered her with it, slightly embracing the fragilized girl.

"Go, Espeon, Ariados!" the woman called.

"Go, Scizor, Weavile!" her partner joined in.

Ash took two more pokéballs from his pocket and threw them in the air. "Go, Charizard, Gyarados!" The six pokémon were revealed, and finally Ash recognized his opponents. They were Oakley, Annie's sister, who constantly let luxury take over her; and the other one was Vicious, also known as the Iron-Masked Marauder, creator of the Dark Balls, always trying to take Giovanni's place. "Glalie, Garchomp, you're in too!" he called his other two already released pokémon, who placed themselves in front of Ash, Pidgeot and Misty protectively.

"Ash?" Misty faintly called.

Different noises reached her ears, but they also seemed to be far away from her. The pain had gone away, and with it, her consciousness apparently. She saw chocolate brown when her eyes decided to cooperate a bit.

"Mist? Can you hear me?"

She was still fighting her blurry vision, that apparently had doubled everything too. The redhead pressed her eyes shut and opened them again, trying to get a better image of him.

Her gaze of recognition was all it took for Ash's lips to turn into a relieved and loving smile.

"Hey…" he gently cooed, never taking his eyes off of hers.

"Hi…" Her voice came husky but soft, as she tried to smile a small smile to him, only getting a pained grimace. "Took you long enough," she teased half-heartedly.

"True, but now I'm here." His smile didn't fade when his right hand moved to touch her face, immediately feeling the quick sparks and flames burning inside of him. After all those years and circumstances, it still felt so soft. He felt his strength refreshed, his will and determination to protect her renewed.

If the message had been successfully delivered, he didn't know. However, he could tell she hadn't minded it by the way her eyes gleamed lively and her cheeks regained little color. In fact, she looked like she had enjoyed it.

"I'll get ya out of here, I promise." Misty just slightly nodded, still quite taken aback from his previous actions.

"Not the time to be romantic!" Oakley shouted, upset by the fact that Ash's pokémon were able to keep up with little effort without their master's orders. Ash groaned, but didn't make any comments on her accusation. Vicious merely observed, his brain projecting a strategy.

The battle was in Ash's favour - his loyal Charizard had teamed up with Glalie to take down Spinarak and Scizor. Weavile, however, was too fast for Gyarados to keep up, and it was already getting tired. So, Ash quickly put his brain to work and came up with an idea.

"Gyarados, Garchomp, quick, exchange opponents!"

Garchomp, being the faster of the two, put itself in front of Gyarados, intercepting an attack from Weavile and earning some time for the water-type to move.

More orders were shouted – fire, ice, water and sand drifting in the air around them. Ash tried his best to protect Misty from this, using his own body as a shield to her. Glalie, Scizor and Spinarak were already down. Ash was confident, after all, he had three amazing pokémon left, plus Pikachu and Noctowl.

That is, until Vicious reached for his jacket and called an infuriated Tyranitar.

The creature growled savagely, its own weight provoking the tower to shake. And Ash was now a little bit more concerned, especially after looking through the window, only to see more ghost pokémon joining. _This is not a good sign…_ he thought.

Then an idea crossed his mind. He ordered Gyarados to point a Hyperbeam to Tyranitar's feet and Charizard to use Flamethrower on it. The water-type began forming a yellow ball in his mouth while Charizard attacked the green pokémon. His plan, however, was ruined by the time Weavile rapidly jumped and scratched Gyarados, whose Hyperbeam opened a whole closer to them than wished.

Refusing to give up, our hero thought of another possibility. A not-very-happy-or-safe one at that, which completely fit his character. But it was worth a shot, if she was to be okay. His gaze drifted down to her longingly. At least, she would be okay…

"Gyarados!" he called the pokémon. "Take Misty down that hole and do not stop by any means until you reach home! Understood? Pikachu, take Gyarados place in the battle."

"Pika!" the electric mouse attended lively but not without licking Misty's cheek one last time.

The great water-type fixed his purple eyes on Ash's in a way that showed the respect he had gained for him on the last hours. He nodded and bowed his head, waiting for Misty to seat on him.

"Wait, what?" she asked, finally understanding the implications of this. Ash was already lowering her down to Gyarados. "What are you doing?"

"Keeping my promise," he replied simply.

"You said _you_ would get me out of here," she protested more vehemently, grabbing his black shirt and lightly shaking him to gain his attention.

"Well, it's still _me_. It's my plan," he said, patting Gyarados and glancing at her again. Her eyes were filled with confusion and… could it be? A little bit of despair. He was eager to think so - the concept of his beautiful mermaid afraid for him was sweet in a platonic way.

Indeed it was despair, for Misty was speechless and reluctant to let him behind like that, risking himself for her.

Then Ash remembered to take Gyarados' pokéball from his pocket and felt something else on it. He pulled it out and a new idea started to take shape.

He gave the object to her. "Take it with you. Blow into it and Lapras will come to help," he whispered, holding her hand and putting the blue shell on it. "Do it when needed."

"No. I'm not leaving you here by yourself!" she objected again.

"I'll be fine, Mist. It's just like the old times." He flashed a confident grin.

"Don't be a reckless moron! This is completely different! I don't want you to get hurt or killed!" Tears were beginning to take form in her eyes. However, it seemed like her ability to scream had remained untouched. "Especially because of me…"

His heart raced a bit more and his cheeks turned red.

He wanted to kiss her.

"Just go…" he murmured, tearing his eyes from hers. "I can't stand watching you hurt like that."

She caught what he said last and stopped shaking him, her hands falling softly on her lap. Gyarados took that as a cue for finally leaving. Misty glanced one last time back at Ash, as if on search for something, or maybe just because she felt the urge to see those eyes again.

"She's escaping!" Oakley shouted alarming, "Espeon!"

The purple pokémon had no time, because he was immediately shocked by Pikachu, who was nearly as furious as his trainer for the way they had treated his 'Pikachupi'.

Gyarados was violently opening way through the building, shattering walls, stairs, elevators, chairs, a great amount of laboratory equipment, as well as technology; but Misty's mind was elsewhere, lost in those moments her brain seemed to revive once and once again. Could she live with those questions forever? With his blood on her hands? _Don't be stupid Misty! It's Ash, he can't die!_ Then a fake giggle escaped her lips, as a bit of relief found its way to her heart.

The battle was raging fiercely upstairs, and part of her just wanted to get back there and help him. On the other hand, she knew she would just be a nuisance to them, apart from being a way to threat Ash too. Now, _why _had they thought of her, if he had had so many partners and friends over his journeys? Pure coincidence? No, that was nonsense.

The only reasonable answer she found was that they had presumed Ash and herself kept in touch after all those years, back when Vicious tried to capture Celebi and Oakley, along with her sister, had tortured Latios to death. But they weren't doing their homework, because Ash and she hadn't been in touch for four years.

Then Misty thought of another points of relevance: why were just the two of them acting? For what she remembered from her previous adventures, Oakley was _not_ a Rocket. Plus, Vicious acted alone, and had no intentions of obeying Giovanni or acknowledge him as his boss.

There was something fishy about all of that.

* * *

><p><strong>I'm sorry, I always leave you on these cliff-hanger situations, but this chapter is already long enough and I didn't want to rush it.<strong>

_Love and Music _for you all,

_C'sMelody_


	9. The Tower of Doom - part II

**I know, I know, I'm a terrible person! :(**

**I'm so, so, so, so sorry for making you wait this long - probably more than 3 months - but a lot of things happened, and you'll know what I mean if you go to my profile. And I am also sorry to inform that probably it will be a while for me to finish 10****th**** chapter, because I'll be participating in 2 competitions (one in May, the other in June). But if I get the time and the inspiration, I'll be writing from time to time, in order to finish this story.**

**Music:**

- "**Marry Me" suite, from **_**Pirates of the Caribbean - At World's End **_**(Hans Zimmer)**

**No, it's not what you might be visualizing!**

**Updated!**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 9 – Tower of Doom – part 2<strong>

Up above, Ash was facing trouble already - two against one was not a fair situation. Besides, the ghost pokémon were already getting in, and Noctowl wouldn't be able to hold them much longer. He had to get out of there.

Finally, Espeon had been defeated by Pikachu. That would balance things a little.

"Pikachu, go help Noctowl!" Ash commanded.

"Pi!" He cried in agreement, immediately moving to the owl pokémon's side.

Oakley, clearly taken aback, stepped back hesitantly, glaring at Ash, who reciprocated with a determined look. Then, her eyes went to Vicious, pleadingly. He just stared back for a mere second with indifference. He didn't give a damn about her; she had just been useful for a while, and now she was just a nuisance.

From out the corner of his eye, Ash saw Pikachu and Noctowl fighting endlessly with ghost-types. That was getting them nowhere, there were too many.

Suddenly, the tower started to shake violently.

Everyone fought to keep their balance, but the tower was threatening to fall into pieces. _I have to get outta here!_ Ash thought.

"Get out guys!" He yelled to his pokémon, already clinging onto Pidgeot. Pikachu ran up to his shoulder instead. Garchomp and Charizard fired their last attacks to Tyranitar and Weavile, not getting big effect on the first, but knocking down the second, and giving them time to leave. Noctowl lured the ghost-types outside and used a powerful confusion attack, effectively hurting many of them. But the owl pokémon was completely exhausted.

Ash was already making his way out on Pidgeot when something caught his attention.

"Please…" she said, tears in her eyes. She was on her knees, in front of Vicious, curved pleadingly. "I don't have any pokémon left to get out of here."

"That's not my concern," he coldly replied, taking a step away from her, and releasing a Fearow. He returned Tyranitar.

"Take me with you!" she implored, despair all over her voice.

"Why would I do such thing?" A malicious smirk emerged on his face.

"We're… we're partners!" she stammered.

"No. You were useful for a while," he stated. "I don't need you anymore."

Shock was evident in her eyes as soon as the man said that. And she just stood there, watching his back while he climbed onto Fearow.

Ash couldn't hold his tongue much longer and said abruptly, "But she'll die!"

Vicious' attention laid on him again. "And?"

"You can't just leave her!" Ash shouted, now really mad.

"If you're so concerned, then you may help her yourself." Then, with a twisted grin, he concluded, "I'll be outside, catching your pokémon." And he left.

Ash's head quickly turned, observing him for a split second before making his decision. Inhaling and exhaling deeply he called for Charizard and dismounted Pidgeot. Petting it on the head he said, "Please, take her to the ground."

"Why are you doing this?" Oakley asked as soon as she understood what he was doing.

"No one deserves to die, not like this." He smiled softly, offering his hand for her to stand up.

"I've caused her so much pain-"

"She would have done the same," he cut her off, guessing what she meant.

"I wouldn't," the female honestly said.

"I know."

"But still you'd help me…" It wasn't a question, just a statement that came with a conclusion, "Very well, but don't think I won't bother you anymore. I will as soon as you stand on my way." Rising up to her feet, declining Ash's extended hand for her to take, she climbed onto Pidgeot's back and left, still quite engrossed by his actions.

_Stupid, he's an idiot! First, he comes to her rescue, and then he offers to help the enemy. Good people are just dumb! What does he gain with this?_ Oakley then remembered the way the two of them had stared at one another. _Love, is it? What they have that we don't; the thing that makes it all worth it?_ Then she smirked and sighed._ That ain't for me. I'm not good; I'm just a heartless being._ And with that, she flew away on Pidgeot.

By the time they left, Ash, Charizard and Pikachu were having serious trouble in getting out of the tower. The tremors were increasing in magnitude, and soon enough there wouldn't be a tower to shake.

At last he came with the idea of sending Charizard out and then jump, because to take flight inside was clearly not working. By the time he had thrown Pikachu to Charizard's head, a huge boulder almost hit Ash, had he not stepped back the second before. But, unfortunately for them, it had covered the only way out, keeping in mind that the other windows were already hidden by stones. He didn't have much time - the roof was threatening to fall at any moment.

"Guys, you must get out of here, it's dangerous!" He shouted to his two most loyal pokémon.

"Pi pikachu Pika Pi, pika pikachu?"

"I… I'll find a way," he offered.

Charizard and Pikachu vehemently shook their heads, refusing to abandon their trainer to fate. The orange lizard opened his jaw, firing a handful of attacks against the boulder. Pikachu immediately joined, throwing countless Electro Balls at the center of the boulder.

"You don't have much time! You must leave before this place cracks down!" He insisted. Ash could never ask his friends to share the same fortune as him. His eyes searched for an opening urgently, but he saw none. "Please, just go…" He told them, supporting his own weight on the rock.

"Pi, pika pikachu! Pi, pi!" The rodent already had tears on his eyes. Charizard too was tearing up. None of the two backed out.

Ash's heart broke a little more by that sight, and he forced a small smile. "Take good care of her, buddy."

"Pika pikachu, Pika pi! Pikachu Pi pika Pika Pi, pi Pikachu!"

"Huh, _I _have to protect her?" Pikachu nodded.

"Pi pikachu! Pika pi pika cha!" he insisted more vehemently.

Ash shook its head, Pikachu's 'words' sinking in. "You're right, buddy! I mustn't give up!" He said with determination.

A cracking sound followed and the floor gave underneath him.

* * *

><p>"<em>ASH!<em>" Misty shrieked hysterically. The tower was slowly falling into the water.

From the moment Misty had gotten out of there, she had reached for the blue shell and blown into it. Soon enough, Lapras came with a worried expression, and after immediately recognizing Misty, she used telepathy to ask the redhead what was wrong. One thing led to another and Lapras and Gyarados had joined forces to attack the tower and bring it down.

The problem was that Misty thought Ash would understand the message and get out as soon as possible. But no, he had to play the hero! When Misty saw Pidgeot fly away she felt relieved but then noticed it wasn't Ash who was riding him, it was Oakley. And her terror just increased when the tower started to actually fall and there was no sign of Ash anywhere.

Feeling tears already starting to fill her eyes, she fought them, embracing a downed Noctowl in her arms. Looking up above, she saw Garchomp fighting with Vicious' Fearow. Apart from being tired, Garchomp was still too much for Fearow to handle, let alone with his trainer on the back.

"Come on Gyarados, we've got to get them out of there!"

The blue dragon roared and swam forward towards the ruins of the tower. Misty got out of him as soon as they were near there. She nearly tripped, for she was still in a very low shape. Lapras had come with them, and was using telepathy to try to find Ash. Misty could see she was not succeeding, and her heart raced even more. She carefully placed Noctowl on Lapras' dorso and faced the remains defiantly.

_He's not dead._

She kept repeating those words in her head to assure herself as she slowly but surely stepped forth and searched for any signs of him.

Misty was still too weak, but it didn't stop her from screaming his and Pikachu's name. She wandered around, moving various pieces of junk for any sign of them. She ended up finding one of the caps he always carried around proudly in his head. Putting it on top of her head, she said, "Ash Ketchum, don't you _dare_ die on me!"

She continued for what seemed hours, though it had only been minutes. Her body was starting to give in, her trembling knees pleading for her to stop. She fell on them, feeling useless. Supporting herself with her hands, she kept shouting his name countless times, each fainter than the last.

_Misty…_

A tear dropped from her left eye. It sounded like him.

_Misty._

His husky voice filled her ears. She could picture him, with his goofy grin. Her body was giving in to the dizziness that consumed her head. Another tear fell.

_Misty?_

He sounded closer. Was she dead as well? She wanted to answer him, but she couldn't find her voice. Two more tears left her eyes.

_Mist?_

She would have smiled at his nickname for her, but she just couldn't force herself to. More tears fell, and she couldn't see, her vision was blurry.

"Misty!"

The sound of urgent steps followed. Her eyes widened in surprise. Could it be?

She glanced up. Even though indistinctly, her eyes projected an image of him knelt in front of her, wearing a worried expression and a Pikachu on his shoulder. She could see orange on the background too.

_You gigantic dumbass! I thought you were dead! Stop fooling around like that! You scared me… s_he wanted to say.

Strong arms scooped her up, and as he walked, he kept murmuring things she couldn't bring herself to understand, but still comforted her, the sound of his voice going to her brain.

Ash thought he'd be a goner after that cracking sound. Luckily for him, Pikachu and Charizard had managed to break the boulder right before the tower completely collapsed and he had jumped out of the window and into the night's sky. Charizard's experience had saved him. Pikachu had clung to him so desperately he thought he would choke.

Before his imagination went wild with 'what ifs', he noticed his cap was in her head. It had probably been blown away the moment he hopped. He let it be there, since some kind of a fuzzy feeling was dancing in his stomach. It had a double effect, though, seeing as his rage had grown as well.

Ash glared deadly at Vicious, fully conscious of the conditions of the girl he carried in his arms. "You'll pay for this."

There was no answer from the other side however, and bird and dragon kept dancing in the air, dodging and attacking.

"Go, Tyranitar!"

The big green creature left the pokéball, falling loudly on top of the remains. Charizard's eyes were on flames as he stepped forward defiantly. Ash immediately understood what that meant, and said, "Alright, you're in!"

He could feel the tension between the two, and soon the battle begun.

Ash ran with Misty on his arms to a safe spot, behind some higher pile of what was left of the Tower of Doom. Keeping a firm yet tender grip around her, he intently watched the battle and screamed orders from time to time. Pikachu, by his side, payed close attention to the gym leader on his master's arms, softly stroking her pale cheeks with its paws. Lapras approached them so Ash could return Noctowl.

In a mere second, Ash went from winning to a terrible loss. Tyranitar had hit Charizard with a Dark Pulse, sending him flying and falling harshly on his back. That had given Tyranitar enough time to form a Hyperbeam and fire it against Garchomp, who had not seen it coming. The dragon-type began to aimlessly fall, completely passed out.

"Charizard! Garchomp!" The raven haired trainer cried, whilst searching for the dragon's pokéball with one hand only. Finding it and calling his pokemon back, he glared at Vicious. "That's low, to attack when they're not looking!"

The villain merely shrugged and smirked. "I never said I'd play fair."

"Charizard, can you stand?" Ash asked worriedly. The orange lizard groaned in affirmation, struggling to get to his feet. "Okay, try an Inferno."

Tyranitar was engulfed in flames before he knew what had hit him. Albeit the damage was little, the attack left a burn for the ground-type to deal with. He cried, enraged and charged for a Giga Impact.

"Fly, Charizard!" Ash cried out. The fire-type barely had time to, but managed to lift from ground. He flew over Tyranitar, firing an ember on his back. The green pokémon fell face-first on the remains.

"Rock Slide!" the Iron-Masked Marauder ordered. The dinosaur pokémon obeyed blindly.

Ash observed in horror as the green creature put together a ball of junk. He had noticed before that his eyes seemed empty and lifeless; he probably didn't even know what he was doing. _What if…?_

"Charizard, Dragon Claw him on the face!" Charizard soared above Tyranitar, dodging his attack and carving his claws on him. Tyranitar cried out in pain. "Now Fire Spin!"

"Stone Edge, you idiot!" Vicious called from up above.

Surprisingly, both attacks hit. Whilst Tyranitar was engulfed in flames once again, Charizard was down on the floor after a super-effective attack had landed on him.

"Charizard, are you alright?"

It seemed like his plan of waking Tyranitar up from his trance could be labeled as fruitless.

The dragon-like pokémon struggled to get on his feet, panting from exhaustion. Nonetheless, his eyes had a dangerous feel to them, and the flames in the tip of his tail were growing threateningly. He roared, defying Tyranitar.

_Is this Blaze?_

"Hyperbeam!"

"Heat Wave!"

Both attacks met in the middle. They were so potent it was difficult to try to stare for longer than five seconds. Ash knew Charizard was tired, and that Tyranitar would fight to death if he had to. If he fainted, though, things would be way simpler. Suddenly, an idea popped up.

"Charizard, cut the attack by flying and then Rock Smash!"

The fire-type did as told. His opponent's Hyperbeam, finding no more resistance, landed on the water instead, creating a couple of big waves. Gyarados and Lapras struggled to keep their balance.

Once Charizard neatly landed a Rock Smash attack on Tyranitar's head, the ground-type fell back, knocked out of the battle.

Vicious frowned and returned his pokémon, muttering something like, "Useless reptile."

"Pikachu," was all Ash needed to say.

The little rodent hopped onto Lapras' head, telling her what to do.

Misty stirred and moaned something Ash didn't catch.

"Hang on, Mist. We're getting through this, I promise," he whispered, embracing her closer to him.

"Next time your pokémon will be mine, Ash Ketchum."

A small ice ball was gaining shape inside Lapras' mouth. Pikachu's cheeks started sparkling. Fearow prepared to turn around…

… when an Ice Beam enveloped in Thunder hit him and his passenger.

Both human and pokémon were paralyzed and fell from the sky and into the sea with a loud _splash_. Ash was sure that they would be there for a while if no one took care of it.

Surprisingly or not, the police had come to see what all that agitation was about, and in one of the boats was Brock, scanning everything around him in an attempt to find any sign of Ash or Misty. Once he spotted Lapras and Gyarados, he pointed the way to Officer Jenny, and they quickly made their way there.

* * *

><p>A few hours later, the police had been able to arrest a still paralyzed Vicious, as well as sending his pokémon to Professor Oak's lab, delegating the duty of finding a way to turn them back to normal to him. Oakley had been seen flying on Pidgeot's back, but had escaped, leaving the pokémon to go back to the wild.<p>

Ash and Brock had been interrogated, while Misty was taken to the hospital for medical cares. All Ash's pokémon, including Pikachu and Misty's Gyarados were taken to the nearest Pokémon Center, staying there at Nurse Joy's care.

"Where's Misty?" That was the first thing Ash asked as soon as the interrogatory ended. "I have to see her! Is she alright?"

* * *

><p><strong>And so, Vicious' arrested and Misty's in the hospital. So, good things and bad things, right? Right? No? Anyone? Okay, I'll shut up.<strong>

**Anyways, I'm so sorry again, and yes, this one is short, but keep in mind it was supposed to be a single chapter, so… yeah… I'm exhausted, I've finished two chapters today, and I have some things to get ready for so…**

**And… have I ever told you I love you all and your reviews, favs, follows?! :D They **_**really **_**make my day! Critiques are welcomed too; we all grow from them. Flames will just be ignored, so, don't waste your time ;)**

_Love and Music for you all,_

_C'sMelody_


	10. Of Whys, Becauses and Maybes

**Well, I'm not going to apologize anymore, because that would be almost insulting…**

**So, as you read (I hope) my note, I went through a surgery, not a serious one, but I came home feeling so insanely tired I did nothing for a good amount of time. Besides eating. And reading. Well, why am I telling you this, right?**

**But I want to thank all the people who wished me good luck with the surgery :)**

**Some of you probably have been alerted to my new fanfic. Sorry, I couldn't help myself -**_**The Bartimaeus Trilogy **_**is just too awesome and kept me a lot of company in times of sheer boredom.**

**Now, back to business. Music:**

- "**Still loving you" - Scorpions **

- "**My Heart I Give To You" - Yiruma**

**Enough of this too big of an author's note.**

* * *

><p><strong>Of Whys, Becauses and Maybes<strong>

_Where's Misty? I have to see her! Is she alright?_

Ash ran directly to the hospital, not bothering to thank the person that had provided him the information of Misty's whereabouts. His muscles were stiff from the run and the anticipation, his throat sore and dry. Darkness waited ahead of him, only the street lamps vaguely illuminating his way, buildings of all kinds unceremoniously ignored as he dashed front with no second thoughts.

He turned left, and then right; the streets looked all the same to him - dark grey, humid and empty. Not bothering to check if there was any car coming, he crossed the crosswalk, panting already, his ears being assaulted by the cars' horns, whose angry drivers had to stop abruptly to not kill Ash right there.

As he passed in front of the fuming faces of those who had nearly murdered him, he kept repeating the same words in his mind over and over again, deeply wishing for them to come true. _Please, be safe, be okay!_

His lungs were incessantly begging him to end this race, but his brain and, mostly, his heart, were nudging him to go even faster. He obeyed. The pokémon trainer could see the white hospital already, standing in all its height ahead of him. He was closer, closer to her.

Ash rushed in, and barely had time to stop before colliding with the wooden desk where a tall, young brunette was staring at him in shock. In mere seconds, all the eyes were on him, ones wearing expressions of bewilderment, others of recognizion. It was all the same to him, he cared for nothing else besides the redhead's health at the moment.

"Misty… I... need… see… Misty!" he articulated in between grasps for dear oxygen he needed so much at the moment.

The woman took about five seconds to recover from the surprise, and looking at the young male in front of her in such distress, she started tapping furiously in her computer to search for the name he was pronouncing every now and then, all the while stealing glances at that familiar face of his.

Ash waited, panting furiously, and looking everywhere around him. The woman in front of him was in the center of the desk, sided by two other secretaries that had stopped what they were doing for a few moments after his outbrust. At his left was a hallway where two elevators and the stairs stood. And at his right there was a crowded waiting room. Even the people there had stopped whatever they were doing to glance at him.

"Misty Waterflower?" she asked, and Ash nodded immediately. "Third floor, room 24. Do you want me-?"

"Thank you so much!" Ash cried, taking off again, his dark blue jacket a cadence of his running form, and choosing the stairs over the elevator - he couldn't stand still at the moment.

"… to call someone to accompany you to the room?" the secretary finished after Ash was no longer visible, and blinked twice when she realized he wasn't there already.

Meanwhile, our hero finished the last two stairs in one hop and headed for the white narrow corridor, filled with numbered doors. He noticed there were some people there, sitting on chairs or on the floor, some crying, others looking beyond depressed, and there were other ones pacing around nervously. Nurses and doctors walked from room to room hurriedly, carrying papers and focused faces, sometimes stopping by the secretary in the beginning of the corridor, and after a small change of words, going on their way again.

Forcing himself to momentarily forget the fact that hospitals carried around that dark aura, Ash quickly found the room, and almost bumped into the doctor coming out of it. The grizzle haired man held Ash's wrist before he fell with incredible speed, one the trainer wouldn't have thought normal in a man of such apparent age.

"Where's Misty?" Ash asked abruptly, not even thanking the elder man.

"I see. You must be Ash Ketchum," he said in a low voice, looking over his folders. Then, taking off his glasses he motioned for his left side. "Come with me."

Ash followed him into a small white office, poorly furnished, with only a dark wooden desk, three chairs and a computer occupying the center. There were some diplomas and newspaper's articles inside frames and hanging to the white wall. No windows, no plants, the room was odd to say the least. When he realized she was not there, Ash said urgently, "I must see her."

"I figured as much," the doctor blankly said in his grave voice, walking behind the desk and motioning for one of the chairs in front of it. "Please, Mr. Ketchum, have a seat."

"Is there… is there something wrong?" He gulped, freezing with the possibility. He was not enjoying the doctor's tone the least bit. He _wanted_ to see _her_.

Ash had to stop his brain before it could create pictures that would most certainly haunt his dreams for the rest of his life. He fidgeted nervously, clearly declining the offer to sit on the chair indicated for him. He had this huge knot knitting his stomach, and his knees were slightly trembling; if that was because of the run or the nervosism he didn't know - his priority was to get to Misty, though it seemed the doctor had some different plans for him.

"Miss Waterflower," the doctor began, acquiring Ash's full attention instantly, "was in a rather strange and bad state when she got here…" He paused, his cloudy gray eyes perforating Ash's brown ones in a cold and analyzing way, causing the hair on the back of the trainer's head to rise with a chill.

Then, casually, the doctor put the glasses on again and searched for a specific file. Once found, he detached it from the rest of the pile and began to read it calmly and flatly, loud enough for Ash to hear. "Misty Waterflower arrived at the hospital in a very low shape. Severual injuries, bruises, weak pulse, suffering from dehydration, f-"

"I know all that!" Ash briskly cut him off.

The raven haired trainer had his gloved fists clenched tightly next to his dirty jeans. Ash's jaw was noticeably tense. His face was turned down towards the floor. All in him radiated anguish, as well as guilt. Lots of it, in fact - he knew if he had never returned, they wouldn't have kidnapped Misty, and she would be at the gym, going on with her own life, _without me…_

The other man stared curiously at the youngest.

He took off his glasses again, holding them for a moment before deciding to put them down on the desk. Entwining his fingers of both hands in a very doctor-ish way, the man cleared his throat in order to have the other's attention back. "Mr. Ketchum, if you could tell me what happened, it would surely help us both."

When Ash didn't reply, he tried again, "We tried to reach her sisters - Daisy, Violet and Lily Waterflower. We've been told by their personal assistant that they are in Spain." He paused. "We were also later informed that they're coming as soon as they can. Miss Daisy told us you would get here as quickly as you could, and she spoke the truth, it seems." His stare didn't falter for a second as he went on. "She said you are her boyfriend and so everything that they must know can be shared with you. Is this the truth?"

Ash stared back at him blankly, his empty eyes burning from the tears that wanted to fall. He sniffed once, and nodded. Had it been any other time, the thought of him being Misty's boyfriend would surely bring a blush to his cheeks and blow his mind for a second or two. But this was different, and urgent.

"I'm waiting, Mr. Ketchum, for you to tell me what happened."

Ash sharply inhaled and sighed, before finally finding the courage to reveal what had happened to the doctor, patiently waiting for the youngest to start.

"So, Team Rocket kidnapped Misty…" he started. "They took her to this high-tech tower where they-" Ash gasped, clenching his eyes shut for a moment. When he exhaled, his breath came irregular and tense. He opened his eyes, his retinas burning a bit more, focusing in anything but the man gazing at him. "…electrocuted her… with this machine I've never seen on my life…"

Ash heard the sound of a pen scribbling on paper, followed by the doctor's severe voice. "I see," he said. "How many times?"

"Does it matter?" Ash breathed out helplessly.

"I take it they were a few," he assumed. Once more, Ash didn't like the cold and indiferent tone. The oldest stood up from the chair, motioning for the door, "After you."

"Will you take me to her now?" The trainer asked hopefully.

"I'm afraid it's past the time to-"

"You don't understand… I _absolutely have_ to see her!" Ash was getting pretty desperate now. After all this stupid interrogatory and police's also, and that was it? No seeing Misty? No making sure she was at least _stable_?

The doctor adjusted his glasses to take a look at the man standing before him. "And why is it," he said, "that you _absolutely have_ to see her?"

"B-because… Because if it weren't for me, she wouldn't be like this! It's my fault a-and-"

"I am not letting you visit my patient if everything you will imprint on her is guilt, self-pity and anguish." That was a very cold statement, something Ash found to be a trait of the man. His eyes once more examined Ash's. He felt naked, exposed. "And I am not letting you visit her just because you are a very famous trainer."

With that, and with what seemed to be a grunt, the doctor started walking towards the door, mumbling something under his breath about hero complexes and their arrogance.

The raven haired young man, still standing where he was, suddenly turned to the doctor and asked, "What do I have to imprint on her?"

"Excuse me?" the doctor asked, stopping and twisting his head in Ash's direction.

"Tell me what I have to do to see her!" he said seriously, taking a step forward. "I'll do anything!"

"Mr. Ketchum, I don't need to be a doctor to understand that either you are _not_ Miss Waterflower's boyfriend, or your relationship is going through a bad time. In each case, which does not really concern me, I won't allow you to visit her, because it would do no good." He stared at Ash once more, and taking his glasses off, revealing a pair of cloudy grey eyes, he said, "If you don't think you're worthy of her affection, then don't step into her life. If you think you are, however, you should do it fearlessly."

The doctor put on his glasses again. Ash got the feeling this kind of advice was masked in a living experience of the older man standing a few feet ahead of him. But it did hit him. Hadn't he just been avoiding her for the past four years out of fear and self-pity? _Because_ he didn't think he was worthy of her? _Because _he feared what could happen, either it meant being with her or not?

He had been so stupid.

Ash then made an inward resolve.

He gazed at the doctor determinately. When the doctor did nothing but stare, Ash tried again, this time with confidence. "Does _love_ help?"

The older one smirked, already knowing where this would take them. "Come with me," he said, and Ash followed, this time sure they were going the right way.

* * *

><p>"Mist?" Ash called in a whisper, glancing at her by his current position, behind the white curtains that separated each patient's bed. It was pitch-black, so he couldn't see anything clearly, but he knew that she was the only one in the room.<p>

Misty slowly turned her attention to him, her vivid aquamarine eyes lazily showing themselves, finally meeting his for what seemed to be, at least for Ash, a century. The machines around her bed were quiet enough to not alarm him, and she didn't seem to be really dependent of any of those. _Precaution, _the doctor had said.

The trainer had to restrain himself from crying - and oh, how he wanted to now. Seeing her like that, so weak and powerless, so different from the usual fiery-tempered redhead, so _vulnerable, _stabbed him to his very core. He forced a smile instead, and to his joy and relief, Misty returned it with a small smile of her own.

"Come here," she mumured in a soft, irregular, husky voice, slightly lifting her right hand as reinforcement for what she had just said, wouldn't he have heard it wrong and misunderstood.

He quickly and clumsily stepped forward, taking her hand in his and hitting the bed's metallic frame with his left knee, swearing under his breath in a way that would have made his mother glare at him if she were there.

Such a natural gesture it was, holding hands with her, and yet nonexistent for the last years; maybe that was _why_ he felt his heart grow bigger, the blood pulse through his veins faster, electricity swirling around. Or maybe it was just the consequence of his feelings for the gym leader. Sitting on the chair beside the bed, he reached his other hand to her face, somewhere in the middle of the process hesitating.

Ash touched her ginger hair quite naturally, gently shoving it off her face. He didn't know if the cherry tone in her cheeks was due to her fever or if he was making her feel embarassed. Either way, he let his hand rest on her forehead, and took his eyes off of her, in search for what to say.

"Idiot," she breathed out casually, causing the trainer's eyes to wide. They met hers, trying to figure out what that statement meant. She stared back with an impenetrable expression, and none of them moved for a while.

_So it comes to this, _she mused, puffing off a strand of hair from her eyes. _I can never really get away from him, can I?_

Somewhere outside, a howl was heard, announcing the end of the nightime, soon followed by timid butter rays of sunlight, lazily rising up from sleep, touching every building, rock and living creature, as if tenderly waking them up from their slumber.

_Do I want to?_ She asked herself as the light invaded the former dark depressing room, slowly enlightening both of their stern faces.

"I'm sorry," he said, finally breaking the silence. Her stomach flipped once.

Misty genuinely thought she had misheard him for five good seconds. Then, snapping her head elsewhere, blushing even more brightly, she asked, "What for?"

"For this," he answered unsteadily. His hand had fallen off her forehead the moment her head had twisted, but she could feel it tightly grasping the pillow, and she could tell he was shaking. "For everything that happened to you because of me," he continued, only pausing for a rather anxious inhale, followed by a just as nervous exhale. "I can take anything - from our daily arguments, to that damn mallet of yours. I can take the insults, the lectures, the yelling… But please…"

She cocked her head to the side a little bit, watching him by the corner of her eyes. He looked like the ten year-old she had met all those years ago, a somewhat lost one. What terrifyed her most was the fact that she knew what was happening, and what he was implying. She opened and closed her mouth a couple of times before realizing she couldn't really say anything coherent at the moment. _Don't-_

"Mist, don't walk away from my life... Anything but _that_," he finished, and now Misty could see, a little bit shocked too, that the brown eyes, once hid behind his messy black hair, had restrained tears on them.

She wasn't sure of what was louder: her grasp, the pounding of her heart or her thinking. Misty wanted to cry as well, for everything and for anything. _Ash!_ She inwardly screamed, praying for him to stop. And to think she had fought all those years to keep those memories away, all those demolishing feelings and irrational emotions. In what right was he coming here-

"_Misty!_" he sobbed, very much like a scared child would, and he held her, he held her ever so tightly, his chest and torso falling on top of the gym leader in an almost painful way. But it was warm, just like every hug felt, and it was warmer because it was him holding her.

_Damn it, you! Stop! _Misty shouted inwardly once more, barely believing in it herself. This time it proved to be too much - even for her - and once she knew it, she was crying as well, all the while holding him back, her small hands grasping his clothes. _He's okay, he's safe…_ _Thank Ho-Oh for that, _she thought gratefully, keeping his warm body against hers. She could feel his heart beat, and so close to hers they seemed one. The redhead found herself letting out a sigh - one that seemed to take away all of her accumulated angst and stress.

Always killing her defenses, that is what he does best. When she is positive everything is under control, he comes and undoes it once more, and she would fall for him over again. It was her life sin.

After some time, the trainer slowly removed himself from the gym leader. He intently locked eyes with her, both their faces red from crying, and absentmindly removed her bangs from her eyes. Misty watched in bewilderment as her long time best friend lowered himself to her once more, his face dangerously close to hers. All her strength, self-control and racional thought were blown away the moment Ash tentatively kissed her forehead.

Noticing their current position and her widened eyes, Ash flinched and quickly sat back on the chair, his gaze abandoning hers completely. His face was beat red, he could tell. Why was it so difficult to talk and act _normally _around her? He was trying to take the doctor's words into account - honest he was, but she just stirred his nervous system way too much for his chances to do what was planned basically go to hell.

Misty dared a peek in his direction. His figure was tensed up, and his chocolate eyes tilted to the right in a daze that gave the impression his mind was not there. She couldn't blame him; her mind wasn't fully lingered to the present for a while now. It was utterly frustrating the whole situation she had been through for the last hours, and if that wasn't enough itself, here she was, pondering over a past that she thought buried and dead a long time ago. Somehow it only fueled her anger.

"Four years," she snorted finally, taking her eyes from Ash and sitting up on the bed. "And still…" trailing off with a sigh, she now wore a sad appearance.

Ash's muscles tensed up; his hand clutched the top of his leg. He didn't know what to say, didn't know what to do. Sure, he was heading to Cerulean when the accident had happened, but this was different. He was at a complete loss of words now.

"Misty," he mumbled after a while. Did she think he was a coward, a loser? Were they even friends anymore? "I'm sorry, I didn't meantokissyouthatday!" There, he had spit it out. Rushed, but he had said it. Right?

The girl's eyes widened. Just what the heck…? A blush. Something felt funny inside her stomach. And apart from that, the memory that came to her was very lucid. The feeling of his heart beat in her hand was real, as well as his arms around her. The tingles, the rapid pulse and even his taste - it was all there.

Then anger came.

"Then why did you?" she snapped, twisting her head to face him, and finally meeting a pair of frightened eyes, her arms crossed over her chest in a defiant manner.

"_Because…" _He tried, he truly did, but the words were lost somewhere in his throat. Misty lifted her eyebrows, clearly nudging him to go on. Then, frowning, he replied, "Why does it matter that much? It was just a damn _kiss."_

Wrong answer.

Just how dense could he _still_ be?

Misty looked even more furious, and now Ash wished he had a black hole on the floor to hide and shelter himself from her wrath. The boy put his arms on his head in seek for protection, and clenched his eyes shut, awaiting his fate. She grew redder and redder by the second, and just when Ash expected her to bang his head off, the redhead did the exact opposite. She merely sighed and turned to the sad look again. Ash opened one eye, astonishment all over his face.

"I would leave now and dramatically shut the door behind me, but I can't get up from this bed, and I'm sick of drama anyway," she said bitterly, a tired and brief exhale leaving her lips. "I just assumed it would mean something to you, but then I guess I was wrong."

Ash had a huge knot in his throat, and as much as he wanted to say something, he couldn't bring himself to. Besides, what could one say in that situation? His blood frozen solid, his muscles stiff - he could have gone purple from unconsciously holding his breath for so long.

Her eyes darted once more to his in an uninterrupted silence, and Ash mentally cursed himself for his vulnerability. _Blame her for that_, he thought. Shortly after, Misty said, "I was in love with you, that's why," chuckling bitterly afterwards.

If Ash had been shocked before, now he was completely stunned. He couldn't move, he couldn't think properly, he couldn't speak or produce any kind of sound besides the involuntary hammering of his heart against his aching ribs, he couldn't hear and he couldn't see, smell or sense anything for a good amount of time.

She had been _in love_ with him.

_In Love. With_. _Him._

In the _Past._

_Stupid. Stupid. Stupid. Stupid. Stupid. Stupid. Stupid. Stupid. Stupid. Stupid. Stupid. Stupid. Stupid. Stupid. Stupid. Stupid. Stupid. Stupid. Stupid. Stupid. Stupid. Stupid. Stupid. Stupid. Stupid. Stupid. Stupid. Stupid. Stupid. Stupid. Stupid. Stupid. Stupid. Stupid. Stupid. Stupid. Stupid. Stupid. Stupid. Stupid. Stupid. Stupid. Stupid. Stupid. Stupid. Stupid. Stupid. Stupid. Stupid. Stupid. Stupid. Stupid. Stupid. Stupid. Stupid. Stupid. Stupid. Stupid. Stupid. Stupid. Stupid. Stupid. Stupid. STUPID!_

He felt exhausted and old now, his endless energy drained from him. The absent look in her eyes told him her mind was elsewhere but, regardless, he couldn't stop the words that seemed to be caught up in his throat for far too long.

"So was I," he whispered sincerely.

He felt her eyes on him, but didn't look back. Her small hands were grasping the blankets in a similar way they had clutched him. Had he really rendered her speachless? _Probably the first time ever, _he mused with a small smile. Yes, he had even managed to surprise himself this time.

Misty's mind was working in full-speed, and at the same time, she couldn't have a reasonable or consistent thought. She was trembling, her hands hurt, but she couldn't seem to relax them. And an irrational number of emotions were swirling inside of her, rebellious, strangled for far too many years, inconvenient. She only came back to herself when she felt something gently wiping away her tears. It was Ash; he was cleaning them with…

"My handkerchief…" she murmured, astonished, engrossed by the object, and then staring at him quizzically. She didn't remember when she had started crying.

"Of course it is," he mumbled, somewhat embarressed. "It's a gift from my best friend. She would kill me if I lost it somewhere!" he retorted playfully.

She beamed at him, which caused some damage on his focus. Her following gesture would just completely destroy it, because when Ash felt her arms around his neck, a small giggle escaping from her throat, his mind went blank for a few seconds, and his insides merely purred like some baby cat would.

_Damn women's mood swings!_ he thought. Not that he would ever complain about this though, her body felt so nice pressed against his. Ash's face instantly turned scarlet. _What the hell am I thinking? Control yourself!_ Misty would surely kill him if she was aware of these thoughts.

She hadn't pulled away from their hug yet. This was his chance. He could voice his thoughts to her. He could tell her he still loved her, that the apology for the kiss hadn't come right, that the only reason he had left was because he thought himself as not worthy of her, that he feared losing her, but it had backfired on him once he went away.

"Misty, I… I have to tell you something," he started, and felt her starting to untangle from him. He firmed his grip around the redhead, trying to pass the message that he preferred to tell her this way. She stopped, resting her head on his shoulder.

She felt nervous - her stomach was feeling funny, and her inside was pratically melting from the physical contact. It was intoxicating, really, but in a somewhat good way. He felt so warm, so peaceful and safe - it was as if nothing bad could happen as long she was in his arms. Maybe that was the truth… And that thought, alongside the other things she was feeling, scared the hell out of her.

Ash took in a deep breath. "Well, I… Misty, I lo-"

"Miss Waterflower, we are here to take you to your last examination before we let you go home," a female voice behind them announced. "Just for precaution, nothing of relevance really."

The two of them flinched on the precise moment the nurse spoke up. With their faces blazing from embarrassment, eyes widened and lips clenched shut, they both nodded awkwardly.

There, standing near the curtains, were the doctor from earlier and the nurse who had spoken. She was probably from a Latin country, due to her light accent and darker tone of skin. Her hair was of a dark reddish brown hue, tightly tied up into a ponytail, her dark brown eyes were almond shaped, her nose was small for her face, and her lips were plump. She was taller than the doctor by an inch, which was surprising, seeing as the doctor was quite tall himself. She should be around Ash's height, if not taller.

The doctor locked eyes meaningfully with Ash, mouthing an "I'm sorry" to the young man. Ash got what he meant. This sure was disappointing. He was just about to let her know everything. _Perfect time to interrupt_, he scoffed inwardly. Just his luck!

"Well, first we need you in the wheelchair," the nurse said once more, this time pointing towards the object she had just announced.

Both Ash and Misty hadn't noticed this before, and the redhead, being as proud as always, wasn't ready to comply. "I can walk," she half-groaned.

"C'mon, Mist, it's just… _precaution_." Ash said smoothly, smiling nonchalantly, glancing at the doctor by out the corner of his eyes and seeing him nodding shortly in agreement. Then he faced her again in time to see her pouting face.

_Arceus, she looks so adorable… Focus, Ash, _focus_! _He ordered himself. _She has to stop doing this. This girl-no, that's not right. This _woman_'s gonna be the death of me. _He gulped.

"Will…" she started, gaining Ash's attention back. "Help me down, Ash." Of course - having the word "please" there wouldn't be Misty-like.

"Sure," he replied and stood up.

Effortlessly, the trainer lifted the gym leader from the bed, scooping her up. He then locked eyes with her for a moment, his own growing softer by the second, Misty's blush growing redder. _Light like a feather_, he could say. He couldn't help the easy smile that slowly found its way to his lips.

Ash would later say that maybe it was in the spur of the moment, that maybe it was because he hadn't slept for nearly a day, that maybe having her this close just turned off his surroundings. Whatever reason of the above it might be, or none at all, his following gesture would surely give a twist to everything.

He put her down in the wheelchair, his face lingering close to hers a bit more than necessary, while he gave her a peck on the right cheek. Ash then slowly recoiled, his face hidden by the shadows of his messy raven hair.

Misty's expression was in between bewilderment and confusion, and remained like that as she was dragged away from the room, her gaze never leaving Ash until she no more saw him. It was _not _because of the kiss - that had been surprising too, in a too much of a good way for her liking, but that wasn't the thing perturbing her. No, not that. The thing occupying her thoughts right now were the words he had whispered _clearly_ in her ear, for only her to hear. Four simple words, yet they spoke volumes; words that meant almost too much. What he had said… and how he had said it, would surely be glued to her mind for the rest of her days.

She kept being driven away from the room by the nurse, the doctor following right behind, both engaged in a conversation that mattered nothing to her. She passed several rooms and people and still didn't mind to look at any. Misty entered the elevator, and they were lifted to a floor she didn't see. Doctors and nurses paced around, sharing small greets before taking off again.

It didn't matter; it just didn't.

Her mind was still in that room, prey of that moment, of his words that kept repeating themselves in her mind, on the expression she had seen in his eyes the moment he had carried her. Everything was honest, without any hint of falseness, and that scared her. It scared her because she knew how to answer to that, and she didn't need to think twice. Because he had made it all seem simple and right.

The doctor spoke up, telling her something about keeping her breath steady, about relaxing and to shut down her thoughts for a moment. She obeyed. Well, _almost_. Because her mind couldn't quiet that single thought, because everything she _saw_ were those words, because everything she _heard_ were those words. Everything said…

_I'm still loving you._

* * *

><p><strong>I know, cliché, but it's high time at least one of them comes clean, right?<strong>

_Love&Music_ for you all,

_C'sMelody_


	11. Awkwardness Is Underestimated

**Hello, hello!**

**Chapter 11 is here, and it took me less than the usual eternity. So, that's good, right? :)**

**Drew - 18**

**Melody - 22**

**The songs:**

- "**I Don't Wanna Talk About It" - Rod Stewart**

- "**Young Hearts", from "Spirit" - Hans Zimmer**

**Updated!**

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><p><strong>Awkwardness Is Underestimated<strong>

Twenty four hours after an occurrence that would make the cover of many newspapers and magazines, Misty Waterflower, Cerulean gym leader, arrived to the comfort of her home on a wheelchair pushed by Brock, her closest best friend. Flabbergasted and fuzzy were two fitting words to describe her recollection of the events of the night she had been kidnapped by Team Rocket.

The doctor and the nurse had informed her she would have to be in the wheelchair for a while, though they discarded the possibility of it being permanent. They blamed the electric shocks as well as the psychological trauma for the momentary pseudoparalysis of her legs. Because her nervous system had gone through a lot of changes and perturbed to the point of paralysing a specific part of her body, she would have to take it slow for the next weeks, as well as do physiotherapy twice a week, and be closely watched by her physiotherapist and doctor.

The moment the front door was opened, the redhead was surrounded by her three teary-eyed sisters, all holding a handkerchief close to their faces, wailing; all of her pokémon, fretting over her in their own way; and May, accompanied by Drew, that had travelled all the way from Hoenn as fast as she could after hearing the news. The brunette brought a message from Dawn as well, saying she wouldn't be able to make it to see her arrive home because she had a coordinating competition on the same day, but promising to visit her as soon as she could. There was an unidentified person in the middle of the crowd, acting on a way that was very unusual of her.

"Melody…"

That was the first time she spoke since she left the hospital, for the ride with Brock was mute and they seemed almost distant. She could guess that Brock was feeling generally guilty for everything that had happened to her, and as for Misty, she couldn't bring herself to tell him "it's not your fault" when she didn't have the strength to explain how absurd the whole concept of culpability was in that situation. But seeing her like that, after all those years… it was, in the best of chances, odd and awkward.

"Misty," the girl reciprocated with a calm and serenity that was a lot unlike her.

The fuss from earlier was silenced, save from occasional sobs from one of the Sensational Sisters at Misty's left. It seemed every living creature in the entrance hall could feel the change of atmosphere that had taken place the moment Misty laid eyes on the much-more-developed-girl standing before her.

It was a common fact to everyone that Melody back then was pretty; but now, she was a taller, elegant young woman with the same long brown hair and defiant blue eyes they had met several years ago on their travels around the Orange Islands. Misty couldn't overlook that, nor could she not speculate about the reasons she had to be there. One part of her was screaming, loudly, that it had something to do with Ash, whatever it ought to be.

"Well," May coughed to get everyone's attention, and to somehow relieve the palpable tension surrounding them. "Seeing as you're okay, Drew and I will be taking Flygon to Nurse Joy. We've really worn him out this time." She smiled lightly. "We'll come back tomorrow to check on you."

And with that, they left, almost knocking two people walking in - Ash and Delia. After apologizing for the incident and receiving a wink from May that clearly said "go for it", the two relatives stepped in, one of them redder than usual. It was clear they had surprised the gym leader, for her face said it all.

If the atmosphere had been tense, now it was almost unbearable.

Misty refused to look at Ash, staring at the floor instead, and that gesture was mimicked by him. Her heart was hammering so hard against her ribs she found it amazing the thing hadn't erupted from her chest. And the words he spoke repeated endlessly in her mind.

_I'm still loving you._

She winced, tightening her hands around the wheelchair's armrest, and gulped inaudibly. The feelings of repulse she held for him had ceased so easily it was as if they had never been there in the first place. Misty wanted to hate it, the power he had over her, but she just couldn't bring herself to.

After everything that had happened in the hospital between them, all the _confessions_, the emotions and even the insults, Misty just couldn't look straight into Ash's eyes. Ash, who was supposed to be her best friend ever; the one who broke her heart; that had confessed he had loved her back then, and that he still did. Could she really believe all that? In what should she believe anyway?

"Daisy, dear," Delia said quietly, walking over to the three crying sisters. "Why don't you and your sisters come with me? I'll make you some tea."

The three of them nodded, and Daisy easily got the message Delia really wanted to pass. And so they disappeared into the kitchen, leaving only Brock, Ash, Misty and Melody behind - all four in a very uncomfortable position.

"I shall take care of the pokémon then," Brock announced quite flatly, surprising both Ash and Misty. He was in the presence of a gorgeous girl, and no everlasting love declaration or daydreaming face? His behavior was precisely the opposite - uninterested and almost cold. Come to think of it, he hadn't tried anything with the Sensational Sisters either…

"Brock, it's okay. You can stay too," Melody murmured. "I'd prefer to have a witness anyway."

The eldest of the four nodded stiffly.

_Wait, they know each other?_ Misty couldn't help to think. _Well, if Ash was with her before, there's no surprise in this, right?_ she added bitterly.

"Melody, is that you?" Ash finally spoke up. The mentioned brunette nodded, smiling slightly. He grinned. "It's so good to see you! How have you been?"

"Just working and…" she glanced at Brock in an almost imperceptible way, "… and helping my sister out." Then the familiar smirk was on her lips. "Still waiting for the Chosen One to drop by someday - I heard he has been quite busy lately."

Ash rubbed the back of his head, chuckling sheepishly. "Well, yeah…"

Misty cleared her throat. They could go all nice and friendly once she was in her bed, resting. "Can I get you something then?" Misty asked as politely as she could.

"No, thanks. I'm in kind of a hurry," she confessed. "What I have to tell you is very simple, and I believe it will change a lot of things." Her eyes wandered from Ash to Misty as she spoke.

"Alright, let's hear it then," Ash said, too enthusiastic with the idea of meeting an old friend to notice how Misty eyed her and, something a lot more intriguing, in the author's point of view, how Brock didn't.

"Misty," Melody started, putting her full attention on the water pokémon trainer, "I came this far after hearing the news. I am terribly sorry for your accident."

"Thank you," Misty said honestly.

"But I'm even sorrier for something that was left unsolved," she continued. Misty furrowed her brows. Brock crossed his arms over his chest. Ash listened attentively for once. "I never dated Ash."

Ash blushed. Brock didn't move a muscle. Misty's eyes widened.

Everything was quiet for a while.

Melody's eyes rested on Misty, awaiting her reaction. From time to time, she would shift them to Ash - he was looking as bewildered and confused as ever, probably not understanding why Melody had voiced something so _obvious_. She didn't dare glance at Brock.

And Misty… Misty was looking beyond surprised - it was clear she wasn't expecting such a direct and abrupt approach. Her heart was probably beating a thousand times per second, surpassing the recommended and delimited speed considerably. She was also having a hard time trying to keep her breathing still.

"That day, almost four years ago, was nothing but a misunderstanding," she continued. "I was referring to you, not me, when I said those lines." She paused to let the new information sink in. "And when I said you two could solve things, I meant for Ash to ask you to be his girlfriend. That was what we had been talking about on our way to Pallet, when Ash lost his plane and I gave him a ride on my boat. He told me about your birthday party and that the two of you had finally ki-"

"W-Wait a minute!" Ash interrupted, his cheeks and ears as red as a Charizard's flamethrower. The other three eyed him, waiting for him to continue. "I-I-I… W-We… I mean…" The trainer groaned, clearly frustrated. Besides the stammering, did he have to look like a tomato in front of _her? _It had already been awkward enough to confess his undying love for Misty that very morning in the hospital. Having his feelings not reciprocated had been painful enough. And now, Melody only came here to prove that point, that he had indeed loved her and still did, and to embarrass the hell out of him.

"Ash, she needs to know!" Melody urged.

"B-But… But that was plain obvious!" he cried, growing more and more uncomfortable by the second. Looking into Misty's eyes, Ash spoke directly to her, "That wasn't the reason for your running away, right?"

The redhead didn't respond. However, Ash understood.

He understood everything. Now it made sense to him - not that it hadn't all those years, but this was definitely a far better explanation than the one he had found for himself. Misty had misunderstood at the time, and so he had. She had not been upset about the kiss, she had been… _jealous_.

Ash felt himself warming up, his hands tingling, his legs urging him forward. He wanted to kiss her now, kiss her to oblivion - to make all those years go away. And, still, he didn't want them to go. And still, he didn't move from place.

As for Misty, she didn't know what she was supposed to feel: happy, relieved? Frustrated it took them four years and Melody to realize how wrong they had been? Upset for not trusting Ash, for not listening, like her eldest sister had told her to? Angry at Ash for not coming after her? If they couldn't solve this little misunderstanding on their own, how could she ever envision a future relationship?

"Melody, I think that's enough," Brock stated, finally speaking to her. He was cold, however, and the tension between the two was evident.

The girl - or woman - nodded. She was looking a bit distracted, so when Brock uttered those words, she gasped ever so faintly, looking at him, and then shifting her eyes to the ground.

This went unnoticed by the other two, but not by Brock.

"Well then," Melody started gawkily, "my job here is done. Bye." She rushed to the door.

"I shall accompany you to… wherever you're staying at," Brock offered. Melody stopped abruptly. "It's… It's dark already…" She nodded stiffly. "A-Alright then. Be right back, guys."

And so, they left awkwardly, leaving behind thoughtful Ash and Misty.

Noticing the absence of people in the room, Misty was the first to come out of her trance; and seeing Ash standing there, staring at her but not really looking, compelled her to say something. "So, where is Pikachu? I haven't thanked the little guy or the rest of your team for… saving me… Ash?" She gasped, noticing he wasn't really listening to her.

"Misty…" Ash muttered in a small, husky voice, his eyes burning hers with _something_ she hadn't quite seen on him. But it did send a shiver down her spine. She tore her gaze away.

Ash shortened the distance between them, and this time, Misty couldn't make herself leave, for both physical and emotional reasons. He went down on one knee in front of her, searching for her eyes. Misty, however, didn't even steal a glance.

"Mist, look at me," he asked kindly. Ash was oddly calm for all that had happened in just a few minutes. One would expect him to be all nerves, impulses and anxiety. But here he was, keeping calm for both of their sakes.

The gym leader dared one peek at Ash, but due to his proximity, quickly looked away. He sighed. "Why didn't you just talk to me?" he asked, frowning. "You didn't need to run away, we could have… we could have-"

"_I don't wanna talk about it,_" Misty hissed, her hands clasping the armrests.

"We have to," Ash insisted, putting his hands in her forearms, trying to make her look at him.

"We _don't_!" she nearly screamed, adamant, glaring at Ash.

Ash glared back. "Yes, we do!"

"Ash, it's the _bloody past_, it matters _nothing_!" she yelled.

"Of course it does! For Arceus' sake, it matters to me!"

The raven haired young man was beyond frustrated. Misty was livid.

"It doesn't to me!" Misty spat back with venom. "I might have run away, but you didn't come after me to _explain_, did you?"

"I did right after you left! And when I didn't find you, I thought you were mad about the kiss! I could never _apologize_ for something I… I loved…" He calmed down, breathing in and out for a few times. Misty was mute. "Just like I said before, Mist, I love you."

Misty's chin wobbled slightly. What was she doing? Throwing her chances away like one of those ungrateful brats Ash had been with. Her hands were so tingly right now she just _knew _the only cure was having him on her arms. How she managed to keep them still was beyond her comprehension, however.

"I-I understand if your feelings aren't the same anymore," he continued. "But I had to let you know. I hope you understand that." When she didn't offer him anything besides a curt nod, Ash licked his lips and resumed his little speech. "Since that day, Mist… it has _never _been the same for me. No one can replace you, even though I may have tried it sometimes, only to fail. You're too special." Ash chuckled, shaking his head. "I'm so sorry I left you. You don't know how bad I feel for having done so. Maybe if I stayed, we could have solved things. Maybe if I insisted, we would be-"

"_Shut up!_" Misty cut him, uttering those words quietly, but firmly, and clenching her eyes shut.

"Misty-"

"Shut up, I said!" she repeated, this time yelling. Her eyes opened up in a flash, meeting his confused gaze. "All these years…! How…! _Damn it_!" she cried, putting her hands in her hair, grasping it, as tears fell down her cheeks uncontrollably.

Ash was, in a loss of a better word, astounded. Little had been the times he had seen Misty lose control, and in those times, she would promptly hide it and recover. Misty didn't show any signs of stopping though, and he didn't know what he was supposed to do.

Recalling how his mother managed to make him feel better if he ever hurt himself while a kid, Ash leaned forward and held Misty tightly against his chest, burying her head on the crook of his neck. The gym leader didn't stop the sobs, but they were fainter against Ash's skin, and her hands were now firmly grasping his black t-shirt.

And Ash, knowing that his mother and Misty's sisters would most likely come to check on them, did what seemed appropriate at the moment. Supporting her back with one arm, and her legs with the other, Ash lifted her like he had done at the hospital, rising up to his feet in the process. In his mind, words formed, and at the time, he didn't understand, but maybe later he would. And maybe he would tell her someday.

_I will take you to where you can't walk. Always._

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><p>Reaching her room was the easy part, opening the door and entering was also somewhat simple. Making her sit was harder, so Ash chose to sit himself on the bed and the crying girl on his lap. Declaring that what had just happened was easily dealt with would be lying, but so would be to state that it was painless to watch her crying like that. Although weaker, her sobs hadn't subsided yet. Ash didn't know what to say in such situation, but judging by the way she was clinging to him, she probably didn't want him to either.<p>

And so, he patiently waited.

Misty's mind was racing, and all she saw was a blurry mess of images, as her heart tightened in her chest, and the scent coming from Ash and his strong arms around her soothed her more than she would ever admit. It was pointless to deny it to herself though - she loved him and she was scared.

Knowing that they had just proved how much of a big mistake it had been on both parties for letting that misunderstanding keep them away from each other for almost four years, Misty considered that logic would be the best source of judgement from now on. Relying on her brain instead of her heart would surely be smarter and safer, but could she really keep her heart locked in when her brain was pretty much thoughtless jelly? Nonetheless, risking heart over brain was synonym of plunging into a lake of uncertainty - she was well aware of that.

She couldn't decide anything right now, there were too many things left unsolved, and besides, she didn't know what Ash wanted. He had indeed told her he loved her, but never said he would want them to be in a relationship. Not to mention Ash was a trainer - a good, famous one; and even if he ended up Champion and stopped traveling, would he have time for her?

Misty was going paranoic with all those unanswered questions. The only thing she was certain of right now was that she was drowning Ash's t-shirt in a pool of tears. She hadn't, however, heard a single complaint coming from his mouth, or any gesture that showed he was uncomfortable. And she couldn't help but to feel grateful to him for keeping his big mouth shut, because right now, she favored his shoulder over any appeasing words he might have to offer.

With that in mind, the storm raging inside her came to a controlled stillness. Misty now knew what she wanted to tell him, and she knew perfectly well how to do it.

Ash didn't know how long they stayed there, if it was past midnight, if her sisters and his mother had found the wheelchair to be empty and decided to do nothing about it; he only knew that, after what seemed forever, Misty's grip loosened and her sobs came to an end. She shifted to eye him, and the trainer waited for her to say something first.

He studied her face - puffy red eyes, trails of tears down her flushed cheeks, a mess of a hair, a few strands lingering to the sides of her face. Yes, she had been crying her heart out alright. Ash gave her a sympathetic smile, hoping it would let her know how much he actually understood what she was feeling.

That was probably a mistake, given her reaction. He was pretty sure that slap would hang around his cheek for a while, both the red shape of her hand and the burning, acute pain he felt.

"That's for being an asshole who left without clearing away the misunderstanding, and for being a thickheaded, idiotic, arrogant, immature, stupid, conceited hell of a trainer that risked his neck by going to the damned tower!" Misty impressively spat all that out in a single breath.

"Hey-!"

"And this, this is for saving me, for taking care of me, for worrying, for coming back and for telling me how you feel," she said, this time with a gentler voice, a certain glint in her eyes he was sure he had seen before. But where?

"What are y-oof-!"

With that previous warning, the red headed gym leader pulled Ash by the collar of his t-shirt and captured his lips in an intense kiss. Ash's eyes shot open, and he almost fell back on the bed - Misty was, gladly, too preoccupied with making sure their heads were as glued to one another as possible, preventing him from doing so.

Ash still wore the dumbfounded look when Misty pulled apart, her cheeks redder, as were his lips. But because astonishment couldn't last forever, the trainer recovered in time to cup her face between his hands and return her lips to his, claiming them eagerly.

Women had mood swings alright - Misty was a rollercoaster of emotions. But right now, as Ash demanded her closer, he knew that, at least for the present moment, he didn't give a damn about that.

* * *

><p><strong>So, there are two pages that were supposed to be here, but I decided against it. But that also means the next chapter is part done! :D 18 b-but nevermind, I know what I'll do with it, so don't leave me, 'kay? :)**

**I love to hear your thoughts, your suggestions. Every review I get contributes for a smile on my face :) Aren't smiles amazing?**

**I reply to everything I get, including follows and favs. You probably know this if you've clicked on those buttons below, right? ;)**

_Love&Music _for you all,

_C'sMelody_


	12. Blame Supply

**I love you guys! Hug time! :D - and this, people, is how you try to excuse yourself after nearly 10 months of absence. Probably not working…**

**Music (by this order):**

- "**Kisses and Cake", from "P.S. - I Love You soundtrack, John Powell**

- "**I Don't Wanna Miss a Thing" - Aerosmith**

**I'll shut up now.**

**Updated!**

* * *

><p><strong>Blame Supply<strong>

Misty stirred in her sleep, slowly waking up from the first peaceful slumber in years.

She felt incredibly comfortable, and her mattress shouldn't be the only reason for the sheer feeling of safety, of belonging. Those were wishful, overly romantic thoughts - thoughts she couldn't afford to think.

Dawn was approaching slowly - Misty could see it from the way the light intensified on her carpet. But still, she didn't want to get up yet - she was too tired and in the mood for laziness; besides, the temperature in her bed was so inviting she couldn't bring herself to wake up completely. And so, she now knew why she had slept so well, and to whom the scent that had lingered to her dreams belonged to.

Someone was holding her, she could tell. The memories of the previous hours came gradually back to her, and when everything fit in their respective place, she figured it only made natural sense. Obviously, she didn't regret it at all - refute it or deny it would lead nowhere.

The person beside her sighed dreamily, causing the hair in her neck to rise. As if it wasn't enough, the arms that held her tightened their embrace, making her feel, for the first time that morning, just how _naked_ and _exposed _she was. And worst: she wasn't the only one.

To recall the latter events wasn't of much help, of course. And to think it had all started with a kiss… _Well, not any kiss… It was a freaking-fantastic, freaking-famished kiss._ Those were probably the best words to define not only that, but also the first round. Surely, one wouldn't fool oneself by believing that after too long, too little was to be consumed.

The development of that action ended precisely where they were right now.

Okay, they had slept together… _more… a lot more than just that…_ but having him like this - naked, pressed up against her - was positively agonizing. Her skin was burning to a delusion level - she would, beyond any doubt, need to swim in an artic pool to cool it down; the scent emanating from him made her head spin; his lips barely touching her neck made her want to dive further in his arms, so she could feel them whole; her fingertips were so tingly, urging her to touch him, to hold him back; even his peaceful breathing wasn't helping her brave attempts to remain sane.

She heard Ash mumble something incoherent, and panic struck her violently. Misty went very stiff all of a sudden, blushing furiously and feeling very self-conscious, even though Ash was apparently sleeping. The awkwardness of the situation had gone up too many levels for her to count - numbers had, somehow, stopped making sense.

Whilst being in his arms could be the most peaceful and warm thing ever, being this close, adding in where they were and at what time, blew the chances of it being a good morning hug to whoever decided to step into the room. But now Misty was too preoccupied with keeping her breathing still - not to mention trying to untangle herself from his grip. That proved to be a fruitless struggle.

Her skin was burning more and more. Cuddling was not something she was used to. Even their feet were touching. Misty did her best to keep her head off of what was just happening, and coming as a desperate resource, she slowly mused over the fact that her legs and feet were more sensitive than the previous night.

Had the pseudoparalysis worn off so easily? Truth was she wasn't in pain anymore, and that she had suffered a big amount of _relaxation_ in the last hours. Would she be able to walk already? She tried to move her legs a bit, and succeeded. _Well, I guess that it was mostly a psychologic cause, but still…_ The gym leader tried to stretch the leg a bit further. The response was weak. _Well, better than nothing, but still not enough. _The small exercises provoked a slight pain, but not too significant. She didn't recall feeling any of it when the both of them had-

_Never mind!_

Her cheeks reddened up a bit more.

With all the shifting she had been doing, the sleeping trainer beside her was finally waking up. He yawned quite loudly, stretching and releasing his grip on Misty. Suddenly, the bed wasn't so comfortable anymore.

"Mist… 'Morning," he whispered with a happy sigh, then snuggling closer to the redhead and burying his nose in her hair.

"Huh… Good morning, Ash."

"Did you sleep well?" he asked quite nonchalantly, as if they had passed through this situation a lot of times, a routine of some sort. Misty blushed some more - she seemed to be doing that a lot lately.

"Yes… Yes, very well, in fact," she replied in a small voice, trying to bite the timid smile that perked at the corners of her lips. "You?"

"Never better!" he said energetically, and she could feel, against the small of her back, that goofy grin he always wore around. The situation, however, called for some drastic measures. She would never get out of that bed if Ash didn't first. Not that she _really _wanted him to, though.

"Hey, Ash?" She obtained a small "hum?" as response. "Why don't you go take a shower? I'm sure you'll feel even better then."

"I don't think it's possible to feel better than this," he muttered, and Misty really had to control herself to not giggle at his childish remark.

"Ash," she warned lightheartedly.

"Okay, okay," he agreed, quickly standing up.

Misty tried to avert her eyes from him, but her self-control seemed to have been made thinner since their first kiss of four years. The moment she laid eyes on his back, she was both happy and disappointed he had kept his boxers on. Nonetheless, she let her gaze trail up his spinal cord, and was met with the heavenly vision of his flexed muscles.

_Holy Ho-Oh,_ she thought, _what years of training can do..._

Probably feeling observed, Ash turned around to meet her eyes. "Something wrong?" he innocently asked.

"No! Nothing, really," she offered in the middle of a nervous laugh.

He smiled down at her, supporting himself on the mattress and leaning in to kiss her. Misty responded eagerly, pulling him down by his shoulders, burying her nails on them. Ash groaned in slight displeasure. Misty separated their lips, looking quizzically at him.

"You know, you've left some marks tonight," he admitted with a small chuckle.

"Oh... Sorry," she said sheepishly, her cheeks turning scarlet once more. She had _definetely_ been doing that a lot.

"I don't mind them," he purred seductively, with a matching smirk, stealing some more kisses from her lips, and shifting so he was hovering over her. Misty sighed as she gladly let Ash assault her mouth. He then pressed himself against her, only a thin - a _very thin_, in Misty's opinion - blanket separating their bodies. She just knew where this would be taking them.

"Ash-"Kiss. "Um-"Kiss. "You needda-" Another one. "_Stahp_," she ordered feebly.

Ash rested his forehead on hers, and said in between pants, "Your lips say otherwise."

"Well, pay them no mind," she replied, blowing his raven hair off her face, caressing his own with both hands, and saving this moment in her memory. "Go shower."

"Yes, ma'am." With one last, longer kiss, he stood again, this time going to the bathroom, and leaving a very flushed, breathless Misty behind.

_I blame all this on the drugs I've been forced to ingest in that bloody hospital!_she thought. _But I wouldn't have gotten there if Team Rocket hadn't kidnapped me… which wouldn't have happened if not for Ash's fame. So, it means this is Ash's fault?_ She groaned. _What a stupid conclusion. But then again, it's always _his _fault._

In spite of all that, Misty's musings headed now towards the intimacy of their relationship - of how light, happy and _natural_ it had been to share good morning kisses with Ash. Was this alright? Didn't they have to talk things through? Was she overreacting, over thinking everything?

Misty's thoughts were interrupted by a faint knock on the door. Quickly glancing down at herself to see if she looked decent enough, the gym leader allowed her visitor to come in.

Daisy appeared at the door, a hand covering her eyes and a mischievous smile on her lips. "I won't look at the indecency clearly displayed in front of me!" she said.

Misty cheeks, probably feeling abused of changing colors so much, reddened up to that comment. "W-what do you-? Huh, it's only me, for Mew's sake!"

Daisy's smile only spread as she removed her hand. She studied her sister's room, paying close attention to the crumpled bed sheets and the clothes unceremoniously lying either on the bed or on the floor.

"It's like a tornado's burst into your room, sis." Misty's shade of red intensified some more, her lips in a thin, quivering line. "I wonder if I should ask Ash about this…"

Misty made an acute sound, similar to a muffled squeak, when Daisy said that. The eldest sister sat on the bed next to the redhead, taking in her discomfort and silently agreeing that only an Ash-matter would provoke such reaction.

"So, I take it you two _talked a lot_ _about your feelings_, and came to a _conclusion,_" she pushed, purposely emphasizing those words, each of which making Misty hide her face a little more underneath the blankets.

"…"

"Come on, girl, don't be such a baby about this." Daisy proceeded. "You two had this _totally _coming after so many years of building an incredibly frustrating, pent-up sexual tension."

"…"

"I believe you're feeling incredibly _relieved_ right now, huh?"

By this point, Misty's face was completely covered by the blankets. She continuously refused to respond to Daisy's aggravating speech, but that didn't seem to bother or stop her blonde sister.

"But I guess your _big sister_ knows nothing of these relationship things. Like, I hadn't _once_ suggested you two talked it through." She paused. "Ah, well, I guess you two at least _leveled up_, no?"

"Go. Away." Misty retorted from beneath her oh-so-safe place.

"Excuse me?" Daisy bended forward, a hand in her right ear to fake having misheard, talking louder than before, "I can't hear you because of all those layers. And, somehow, these clothes all around your room are demanding a lot of my attention."

Misty finally, and forcefully, left the refuge of her bed sheets, smashing her hands down next to her body, and revealing a scarlet, albeit angered face. "Will you stop harassing me?" she hissed. "It's not like you've never done it before in your life!"

Daisy raised both of her arms in self-defense, though her complexion gave away how little threatened she actually felt. Grinning widely, she simply commented, "Not the one who's sulking about getting laid by the boy she has a crush on since _forever_!"

The form of a ghost was seen leaving Misty's mouth after that comment.

Daisy stood up, making her way to the door. The blonde stopped before leaving, turning around and saying, "I've left your wheelchair near the staircase. When you two are ready - if you'll _ever_ be, that is - come down for breakfast. Delia's baking pancakes." She paused. "Take your time, though." With that last statement and a wink, Daisy was gone.

Misty lay there in stunned silence, wondering how in the name of Arceus she had let this part of her very, _very _intimate life get unveiled by her eldest sister. Was her room obvious? Yes, it was - not arguing about that. Were she and Ash _that _obvious? No need to think about that one much either - yes, yes they were. Was everyone expecting this? Once more, yes, and Daisy had just proved that fact.

_Oh, this is just bloody fantastic. I'm not getting away without a winking Brock and a maternal and wedding-planner Mrs. Ketchum. And May and Dawn… oh, Mew… they'll get those 'I-knew-it' faces and never let go of this. I'm doomed for all eternity. And my sisters… and the press…_

The regular sound of the water hitting the bath tube soothed and shushed her questions. Misty was starting to feel very lightheaded. She submerged herself in the sheets again, adjusting her head on the pillow, and fighting the urge of moving her legs - not that it would be any good anyway. Why was Ash taking so long?

Misty promised herself she would only close her eyes for a little while, simply because her eyelids felt so heavy, and the bags under her eyes demanded it.

She broke that promise shortly after.

* * *

><p>Ash walked out of the bathroom moments after, humming a happy tune to himself. The shower was great, the day was great, he felt great, the world was great - the whole Universe was just great!<p>

In the middle of pondering about the greatness of things, he noticed how Misty had not turned around when he opened the door. Was she sleeping?

The raven haired trainer approached the bed, bending forward to scan her face. Yes, she was fast asleep. Ash smiled gently to himself, taking in her relaxed features. He allowed himself to lie down beside her, to contemplate her peaceful appearance. He didn't know how long it had been since he had last seen her sleeping - most likely when they were journeying together, around seven, eight years ago? He couldn't really tell. All he knew was his eyes seemed to be glued to her.

_I could stay awake just to hear you breathing_

_Watch you smile while you are sleeping_

_While you're far away and dreaming_

_Every moment spent with you is a moment I treasure_

He didn't know why he was feeling so sentimental towards her sleeping silhouette; after all, he'd seen her sleep many times in the past.

But just by looking at her relaxed, almost smiling expression, he was feeling sleepy and lazy. All the running he had been doing since her abduct had tired him more than he had realized before. In fact, he was positive that he had been mostly adrenaline-driven during the past days. If not, he would have fainted from exhaustion earlier. He was extremely proud of himself for not having collapsed before.

However, he was determined not to fall asleep just yet. Misty was too captivating and he just wanted to be around her more and more.

_Don't wanna close my eyes_

_I don't wanna fall asleep _

'_Cause I'd miss you babe_

_And I don't wanna miss a thing_

Ash moved closer to her, removing a strand from her closed eyes, and stroking her cheek with his fingers. He let it slide down to her stomach, shaping small circles with his thumb. He could feel Misty's calm heartbeat in his hand.

He observed her once more, and a part of him - the one which wasn't trying to shut down his senses and obey to the order "sleep already" - wondered what she was seeing in her dreams; what fears, desires, hopes was that subconscious part of her brain projecting behind her closed eyelids. _I wonder if she sees me._

_Lying close to you, feeling your heart beating_

_And I'm wondering what you're dreaming_

_Wondering if it's me you're seeing_

It was a very strong and sudden feeling the one Ash was being invaded by. He couldn't name it, however, and he was positive he hadn't met it before. He was feeling quite possessive, even though there was no apparent reason for him to be so. The trainer tightened his grip around sleeping Misty, probably driven by that to-be-named emotion.

Was it because his senses seemed to be shutting down more and more by the minute? Was this his will of staying awake? It didn't seem like it.

_And I don't wanna miss one smile, and I don't wanna miss one kiss_

_I just wanna be with you, right here with you, just like this_

_I just wanna hold you close, I feel your heart so close to mine_

_And just stay here in this moment for all the rest of time_

Sleepy Ash did a great job at struggling against his tired mind and body. Nature _does_ have a say in everything, though, and it was short the time Ash managed to keep himself from obeying to his basic needs. A single thought escaped in time to be phrased, though, and the trainer fell in a quiet and peaceful slumber after this epiphany.

_Love is weird._

* * *

><p>Cerulean Gym's kitchen was big, rectangular, and mainly white, with baby blue details here and there. It had one door that led to the dinning room and another one, perpendicular to it, that led to the corridor to the gym's main pool and battlefield. There was a large white table in the middle of the room, and on the wall opposite the dinning room door, a fridge, an oven and several counters. It is accurate to state that this kitchen has never seen a happier, busier day, since Delia has used it more than it probably had ever been used before.<p>

Eight people were gathered around the Waterflower's kitchen table, looking somewhat solemn and pensive - after all, who on earth would have the courage to do such a thing to Misty and go to such length to obtain rare pokémon from Ash? The police had not said anything yet, and the only people who knew the kidnapper's identity were Ash, Misty and Brock, and the last mentioned wasn't even there. It was a mute understanding, though, that, while at the breakfast table, no one would ask Ash or Misty any questions when and _if_ they showed up to eat. They probably didn't want to talk about it anyway.

Brock had not come home since the night before, when he had accompanied Melody to… well, wherever she was staying at. Delia had grown worried - it seems being a mother tends to make you fret more than usual. The truth is no one knew what had happened to Brock besides Ash and Misty, and seemingly, those two were still sleeping - according to Daisy, that is.

Tracey had dropped by in early morning, surprising the eldest Sensational Sister, who had opened the door. The pokémon watcher stated he had walked all the way from Pallet Town the moment after all the tests to the pokémon had been done and Professor Oak had dismissed him. The professor himself had sent his best wishes to Misty, excusing his absence with the fact that the pokémon couldn't be left alone for so long. Gary was unavailable as well, since he was on business abroad, but he had called to check on Misty soon after Tracey's arrival.

May and Drew had showed up in time for breakfast and brought a very anxious and tired Dawn along. The blue haired coordinator had been assured, more than once, by Lily and Violet, that Misty was okay and with Ash. Actually, that had been quite the sight to behold, considering how hysterical the two sisters had been the night before. The three of them proceeded to fangirl over the fact that the two stubborn heads had spent the night together.

Albeit that, hundreds of letters had filled Cerulean Gym's mailbox, and the press had already knocked countless times, asking about Misty's health and how Ash Ketchum was involved in all this. Needless to say, no one breathed out a word, being the loyal friends they were, or maybe that was because nobody knew how to truthfully answer.

The pokémon in the gym had calmed down, and the hole on the ceiling was already being repaired and guarded by May's Blaziken and Drew's Absol. Misty's Gyarados and Ash's pokémon that had participated in the rescuing were still in the Pokémon Centre, waiting for Ash to go collect them that morning.

"But it doesn't make any sense," May said, after attentively listening to Daisy explaining what she knew of that night's events. "Ash and Misty hadn't seen each other in years."

"That's true," Dawn confirmed from May's right. "At least from what I know."

"Misty, like, never mentioned Ash again, right, Vi?" Lily asked.

"Totally, sis," Violet answered, looking somewhat unhappy. "Unless they kept us in the dark for some other reason…"

"Well, I don't think that's the case," Tracey chimed in. "Last time I saw Ash, after Delia's party, he looked pretty down."

"The same goes for Misty," Daisy added, not giving in any more details out of respect for her little sister's feelings.

"Ash hasn't mentioned anything about special pokémon to me, either," Delia commented in a quiet tone, mostly to herself. She took a sip of her green tea - it was rumored to calm one's nerves, and that's precisely what she needed right now.

Drew had remained silent for most of the conversation - or debate - that had lasted for long enough. He finally decided to give in to the information his mind had gathered, "What if this villain had a spy among us all along?"

The young coordinator managed to render the whole room speechless with that. All but one, that is.

"That's an interesting observation," Tracey said. "But still, May's got a point. If they've been watching Ash, haven't they done their homework wrong? Those two haven't shared the least bit of contact for the past four years."

"I know that," Drew continued. "But what if this spy knew more than all of us? Fact is that Ash's grown famous over the years. A face hidden in the crowd would never look suspicious."

"But wouldn't that require some intimate knowledge?" May intervened, touching her boyfriend's arm as she did so. "I mean, why would this person choose Misty if they never talked or got together in public?"

"Precisely!" Dawn agreed, her blue orbs widening. Daisy shifted beneath her, grasping her own cup of tea. "It had to be someone close to him!"

"Ah, come on, aren't you guys turning this into some dramatic detective kind of story?" Tracey contradicted, skeptical.

"Considering the note they left behind, they strongly believed Misty is Ash's most precious treasure," Drew added.

"Aw… Isn't that _romantic_?" Violet sighed dreamily. "Being someone's treasure!"

"You bet!" Lily joined in with the same expression, holding hands with her sister in their own fantasy.

Dawn and Daisy, who sided the duo, only grinned nervously. May facepalmed and Drew groaned in frustration. Delia touched her face in a pensive fashion.

"I wonder who this spy could be…"

"Don't tell me you too believe it, Mrs. Ketchum," Tracey said defeatingly. "That's nonsense. I don't believe any of their friends would do such a thing."

"No one said anything about friends," Daisy said. "I don't believe any of us or their other friends would do such thing either."

"The only thing Brock mentioned to me on the phone was that Team Rocket left a note, and we already read it," Delia intervened.

"I don't think the usual trio would have the heart to do such thing," Dawn stated.

"Yeah, they're mostly stupid and reckless, not mean," May agreed

Somewhere in Viridian forest, two people and a Meowth sneezed.

* * *

><p>A few hours earlier, an unlikely duo sat in silence on a bench in Cerulean's park, watching a small fountain glow as the sun lazily and slowly rose from behind them. They had been like that for some time.<p>

"It's been a while since we've done this, hasn't it?" the woman asked with an easy smile.

The man observed her for a while - her natural auburn hair looking like shining gold, her head tilted back, her eyes, which he knew had the color blue, closed, as she truly enjoyed this moment. She wore light jean shorts that almost reached her knees, a red sleeveless shirt, a small white purse and sneakers. Her jacket rested on her lap, with a pair of sunglasses on top.

He knew what she meant, obviously.

"Depends on your point of view," he commented, letting his gaze return to the beautiful view of the fountain. A small rainbow dimly formed. "A couple of months can both mean little time and eternity."

"Philosophic as I remember." She let out a small chuckle. "I take it you haven't changed much?"

"No changes were found in both my body and brain," he replied. "Only my heart has registered a difference." He felt her shift uncomfortably beside him. "It will fade in time, though."

"I see." Melody lowered her gaze to her sunglasses. "I never thought it was that important to you."

"You've known me for almost four years," Brock said. "I think you'd know."

"And you know me," she insisted, finally looking at him.

"Yes, you are a free spirit, Melody," Brock agreed with a nod of his head. "And I am a hopeless romantic one." He paused, shrugging. "Even so, I've always faced love as liberator, and not as a prison. I'm sorry if my view doesn't match yours."

"It's not like that. I'm still too young, and so are you!" Melody noted. "I want to travel the world, meet different people and cultures. You want to be a breeder, and you want to settle down. We'd never be happy together like that - if one of our dreams was to be sacrificed on behalf of the other's."

"Maybe you're right," Brock granted. "But if that's the case, you should have ended it a long time ago, before I proposed."

"Oh, Brock, don't be such a defeatist. It doesn't fit you well." She grimaced. "I intended on keeping a relationship between the both of us. You were the one jumping to conclusions!"

"Well, I'm sorry if you sounded like I was being a complete lunatic and looked at me like I had grown a second head!" The breeder slightly pouted.

"Just for the record, you hurt me too when you told me you were leaving," Melody confessed. "You didn't even listen to my explanation!"

Brock faced her, meeting her blue eyes intensely. "I loved you! How was I supposed to react?"

Melody flinched back a little, and blushed a light tone of red. "And you still do, apparently."

It was Brock's turn to redden up, completely caught off-guard by Melody's boldness. He mumbled something incoherent and tore his eyes from hers. That was all the confirmation she needed.

"I do too," Melody beamed, reaching her hand to tousle his hair, and earning a groan from the object of her affections. "Brock, can we… uh, you know…" She shrugged.

Brock didn't need to ponder this long. He smiled warmly, leaning forward to kiss her nose. Melody, who usually took the lead in these situations, grabbed his collar and slammed her lips to his, smiling honestly as she did so. Brock pulled her close after the surprise had dissipated from his mind - he was all too used to Melody's straightforwardness.

He pulled apart to let them breathe, and asked, "Still no wedding?"

"Nope." She grinned, pulling him in once more.

_Not now, at least,_ she completed in thought.

* * *

><p><strong>So, were you expecting this? ;)<strong>

**I'm sorry if this pairing (Brock/Melody) offends you in any way. Truth is, I don't pair Brock with any specific girl, but I think that, if they had met and fallen in love, it would be an interesting one.**

**I haven't done a song-driven chapter in a while, and I'm not really sure about that part of it. So, let me know what you think!**

**Spot any mistake? Tell me so!**

_Love&Music _for you all,

_C'sMelody_


	13. Friends Come In Between Helpful and Nosy

**Hi guys!**

**So, yay, it hasn't been forever like usual!**

**Maybe some of you have already noticed, but I want to take the chance to say that I've gone through every chapter of this story. So, you don't have to read them again, but I've changed some minor things and corrected (a lot of) typos. My eyes aren't perfect, though, so feel free to point out something I might have missed! :)**

**Music:**

- "**Chasing Cars" - Snow Patrol**

* * *

><p><strong>Friends Come In Between Helpful and Nosy<strong>

* * *

><p><em>A friend may well be reckoned the masterpiece of Nature.<em>

_** - **_**Ralph Waldo Emmerson (1803 - 1882)**

* * *

><p>Misty knew it was childish to keep hiding in her room with Ash.<p>

Childish and pointless.

_Obviously_, Ash would have to carry her down the stairs, and, _naturally_, their friends and family would all gather around to watch that moment. And, _clearly_, they would mock the life out of them for the whole meal - that being a very positive conclusion, because only Mew knew if they wouldn't be going on and on for the rest of the day, week, month or their lives.

_Focus, Misty. Keep yourself together._

She had to keep focused and refrain from let her mind bend over the negative side of things. That was no simple task however, considering what was literally lurking around the corner.

Adding up to that, Ash had decided to parade around her room in boxers only, making it excruciatingly difficult for Misty to avert her eyes from him. Oftentimes she found herself inner debating if the trainer was purposely toying with her nerves.

Matters had gotten worse when they realized they had overslept. By then, Ash had figured out the obvious: Misty and shower - Misty needed to shower; Misty had no way of standing - Ash helping. These brilliant associations resulted in the most awkwardly delightful shower Misty had ever had.

Returning to the present moment - one Misty was childishly dreading - we find our heroes sitting on Misty's unmade bed. Ash had helped her with her clothes and was now slipping some socks on her feet. She was looking ahead; Ash was staring at her.

"Um… If this makes you feel better, they'll be mocking me too," Ash offered, hoping to relieve some of the tension Misty seemed to be holding onto.

The gym leader only hummed in response. Ash frowned.

See, the problem didn't only lay in all the sort of embarrassing jokes, meaningful looks and winks they would be certainly getting. Oh, no. The worst part was that she and Ash would be seen as a _couple_. A Mew-freaking-couple. Which they _weren't_.

Were they?

If that question had popped out some years earlier, she would have turned slightly pink and mentally answered that yes, 'yes we are together as in a couple in love, thank you very much'; but right now all she could manage was 'I don't know'.

Besides, that last encounter with Team Rocket had been most terrifying. She didn't want Ash to go around risking his neck for her sake ever again, or anyone else's for that matter. In all truth, she feared for his safety - he was already reckless enough to cause trouble and being led to troubling situations by his own foot. Nevertheless, she knew that voicing these thoughts to Ash would have zero effect.

The raven haired trainer had called her name more than once, trying to attain her attention. He had lost it, apparently. Sometimes, he wished he knew what was going on her mind, but then he remembered one of Brock's usual statements - _Women are way too complex, Ash. Trying to figure them out is a mistake_. Who would ever guess Brock actually gave some good advice?

Nonetheless, weird Misty is normally something to dread - you never know what's in store this time. He _did_ know that they needed to get some food on their bodies, though - at least he did. If Misty shared of his hunger, he had no way of magically or telepathically knowing, since she hadn't said anything coherent for the past ten minutes.

So, when she finally spoke up, Ash found himself letting out the air he didn't know he was holding.

"Let's go."

"Hey, Mist," Ash started, holding her hands in his. "Is there something you wanna talk about? Um… yell about?"

"It's nothing, really," she said, trying to remove her hands from his. He didn't let her.

"I don't believe you," he stated, seemingly determined. "Does this have something to do with your pseudoparalysis thing?"

"Oh, Ash, just let it go," she moaned.

"Nope. I want to help!"

The redhead rolled her eyes.

"More or less," she replied, giving in. She knew no one could turn Ash off when he got his detective act out. Right now she couldn't tell him what her real worries were about, so she decided to give him another thing to chew on. "I'm a gym leader specialized in water types. Water and swimming are like a part of me. I just…" She sighed. Ash tightened his grip on her hands reassuringly. Misty entwined her fingers in his, feeling some of the tension revolving around the topic ebb away. "I'm scared," she summed up, and that was the raw truth, albeit the motives weren't what she had made them to be.

Ash was baffled for a moment or two. Twice he had seen her lose her composture; twice he had passed through her walls. He couldn't help but to smile a bit; his chest insufflated with pride and thoughts of him being special. If only Misty became aware of that, she would give him an ego-check.

"Mist, you heard the doctor," Ash reminded in a soft voice. "You'll be back to swimming in no time. Besides, your therapy starts tomorrow afternoon, right?"

"Yes, I know, but-"

"Nuh-uh," Ash cut her off. "Pessimistic thoughts aren't allowed here."

"Isn't that too much of a complex thing to be thought by you?" Misty mocked, one of her eyebrows rising teasingly.

Ash fake-laughed, then turning his expression into a pout.

Misty beamed at the cuteness displayed before her eyes, feeling a familiar urge forming. She bended her head downwards and suddenly kissed him. A muffled surprised sound left his throat, followed by Ash pressing his lips against hers, eager for more contact. He immediately forgot what they had been talking about, venturing to catch her legs with one arm and hold her back with the other. In mere seconds, Misty had been lifted from the bed. They separated.

"I wasn't expecting that," he confessed.

"You didn't like it?" she asked, already knowing the answer.

"Not at all!" He grinned. "Shall we go?"

"Yes," she replied after a short pause.

_There's no point in hiding anyway._

* * *

><p>As usual, Misty was right.<p>

Soon after Ash had set foot on the first step, the soft, occasional conversation going on the kitchen came to a stop. Whispered sentences soon followed, and everyone came out in a rush. Violet and Lily were hopping in a fangirl fashion; Tracey, Delia and Daisy were smiling knowingly; Drew flipped his hair once, wearing a smirk; and May and Dawn were grinning so widely Misty almost regretted her decision.

Ash and Misty shared a sigh.

After sitting Misty on the wheelchair, Ash drove her to the kitchen, closely followed by everyone else, as whispers of "cute" and "adorable" filled his ears. He figured that putting Misty next to Tracey would probably be the best choice.

The pokémon watcher and Daisy decided to help Delia, who was adding some final touches to their lunch, by laying the table. Drew, May and Dawn were talking about pokémon contests and the two remaining Sensational Sisters focused on a fashion magazine.

That, however, didn't stop any of their friends or family from stealing some glances at them, grinning as they did so.

It was when everyone finally sat down that Ash noticed Brock's absence.

"Wait, where's Brock? Isn't he coming?"

"Well, we don't really know," Tracey replied.

"Yeah, we haven't seen him since yesterday after Misty arrived," Daisy added.

Misty looked at Ash, wanting to confirm if he was thinking the same as her.

"Well, I wouldn't worry much," Misty said, tearing her eyes from Ash's. It was incredibly awkward to be sitting _normally_ beside him after everything that had transpired between them in the last couple of days.

Everyone grew quiet then, and the only signals they had that the group still had not let their 'complicity' go unnoticed were of when one of them was caught with a silly grin or winking in their direction. Verbal mocking was not included, however, and that eased both Ash and Misty to some extent, though it also felt odd and extremely forced.

Little they knew that their friends and family had bowed to not push the issue at hand too much due to the prior events.

They were all prepared to dig in - Ash was practically drooling over his dish, something that an annoyed Misty had pointed out - when the doorbell rang.

"I'll go get it," Daisy declared, standing up and disappearing through the door.

She came back accompanied by Brock and Melody. Misty immediately noticed they were holding hands and smirked to herself. That explained a lot. The bags under their eyes didn't go unnoticed by Dawn and the Sensational Sisters either. However, only these girls seemed to perceive the difference.

"Sorry I'm late, guys," Brock said sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck. "I brought Melody along, I hope that's okay."

Misty shrugged. "No problem."

"There's always food for a plus-one," Delia said with a gentle smile. Ash and May slightly pouted - it meant less food for them after all.

"I'll go get one more dish," Tracey offered.

"Don't look so depressed," Drew whispered in May's ear teasingly. "Consuming too much food is bound to make you gain weight."

May glared at him. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Nothing, April," Drew retorted with a smirk.

May's glare intensified. "Shut up, grass-head."

Drew ignored her jab, chewing on one roasted potatoe and looking oddly gracious as he did so.

In the meantime, Brock and Melody managed to squeeze in, and the lunch was going on peacefully when Melody spoke up.

"So, I guess you guys are an item now."

Ash choked. Misty nearly sprinkled Melody with her drink. The referred couple's faces turned bright red. Everyone's attention was on them.

"That is none of your business!" Misty cried out, utterly ashamed. She was expecting a lot of teasing coming from everyone, but she was not expecting a direct statement like that, much less coming from Melody herself.

"So I'm wrong then? Oops."

Misty almost growled.

"Yep, you're wrong," Ash stated simply, taking everyone by surprise, putting some more food into his mouth. _Mist wouldn't want things to go like this._

The redhead's heart was divided after that - while she was relieved that Ash had saved them from being mocked at even more, a part of her would have loved to have him confirm they were a couple.

_Great, because that's not the slightest bit weird or anything._

She clenched her teeth and desperately seeked for a change of topic.

"Well, i-if someone's got some explaning to do, then it's you guys!"

Melody seemed unshocked. Brock's body, however, went very rigid all of a sudden, and the red on his cheeks gave away how embarrassed he actually was.

"We're together, if that's your question," the auburn haired woman bluntly said.

"Really? I didn't know the two of you knew each other!" Tracey chimed in.

"We met at Misty's party four years ago," she revealed.

"And started going out shortly after," Brock added, partially recovered.

"Oh, that's so sweet!" Dawn gushed.

Brock smiled uncomfortably.

"Wait a second," Ash interrupted, and everyone's attention turned to him. "Does that mean that on my mom's birthday you were actually heading to my house too?"

Melody nodded. "That's right."

"Why didn't you say so?" Ash asked, dumbfounded.

"Because you took your time spilling out that you had kissed Waterflower over there." She motioned for Misty with her head, causing her and Ash to blush again.

"A-and why didn't you say something?" Ash asked again, this time addressing Brock.

"Well, you were out there on the road, and then there was that entire troubling situation. You took off shortly after, too, and we barely talked in four years, Ash. The same goes for you, Misty." He paused. "By the time Ash restarted traveling, I went to the Orange Islands in order to do some more research about the differences in the species there.

"Before you ask, Melody and I weren't together when you came back a couple of weeks ago."

"Oh, yeah, I remember you mentioning something at my mom's party," Ash said with a pensive look on his face.

"Don't hurt yourself," Misty remarked with a scoff.

Besides the predictable groan coming from beside her, laughter filled the room. But her head was already elsewhere. Misty wanted to ask them why the hell they hadn't said a thing after that, especially since Brock knew Melody had _not _ever been with Ash, and Melody knew she had gotten upset over her words. She kept quiet though. That was not the time or place for that.

* * *

><p>Three pairs of eyes watched from outside through the kitchen's window.<p>

"You don't think that-" a male voice started, only to get interrupted by a female one.

"No."

"Well, but look at dat!" a third voice said. "She ain't moving her legs!"

"And she's in a wheelchair," the lavender haired man added almost melancholically.

"True…" the magenta haired woman agreed with a nervous sigh. "He wouldn't dare though. We were just…"

"…talking?" he offered.

"Oh, we weren't. We were clearly stating that the main twerp was in love with the female twerp."

"Ya guys think he heard dat?" The other two nodded slowly. "Does dat mean we're guilty?" They nodded again. "Oh, boy."

* * *

><p>After lunch, a few events occurred, namely calls.<p>

Firstly, a distressed Max had called the gym, taking his time yelling at his sister for not warning him of Misty's condition, and then finally asking her personally how she was feeling. After trying to assure the youngest that she felt fine, he hung up, stating he had just been challenged to a battle and wishing her a quick recovery.

Secondly, the three Sensational Sisters had received a call from their manager reminding them of an invitation they had received a couple of months ago to attend a beauty contest in Italy. It was next week, so they had to leave as soon as possible. Daisy was reticent about leaving Misty by herself, but when Mrs. Ketchum promised to stay at the gym for as long as necessary, the eldest sister agreed.

Tracey had to leave to help Professor Oak at the lab. Delia Ketchum left with him in order to bring Mr. Mime to Cerulean.

Ash went to the PokéCenter to get his pokémon back. Dawn offered to go with him, stating that Mrs. Ketchum had asked her to stop by a groceries' shop.

That had been quite the awkward moment. When everybody was splitting up to go their own ways, Ash and Misty had kept staring at each other, as if asking what the other would do or say, attentively watched by the rest of their friends. Both didn't know what they were supposed to do in such situation, and when they just waved at each other, a round of groans and facepalms was heard across the room.

So, the only people left in the gym were Misty, May and Drew, Brock and Melody.

The water specialist never thought she would feel out of place in her own home, namely near a big body of water - the battle pool. However, seeing as she was left alone with two _official _couples, it only made natural sense.

She sighed, utterly bored and frustrated. _What's the use of owning a big pool when you can't swim in it? _As much as she kept reminding herself that her condition would wear off in the near future, being inside her gym simply made her feel depressed. And the worst part was that she couldn't get out - the press had been guarding Cerulean gym's entrance in such a devoting manner it put dogs to shame.

The redhead heard a giggle coming from the kitchen and then steps approaching. Soon May and Drew appeared next to her.

"Oh, hi there, Misty," May greeted happily.

"Hello May, Drew," Misty greeted back, looking up at them.

May and Drew shared a quick glance. The green haired coordinator understood the message and declared, "I'm going outside to train some new techniques." May smiled at him in a thankful fashion. Drew sweetly kissed her forehead before disappearing out of their sight. The brunette wore a faint blush across her cheeks. On the other hand, Misty wore a big grin.

"I think you have to fill me in," Misty teased.

"Oh." May played with the ends of her red t-shirt. "There's nothing much to say, I guess." She shrugged. "We finally named our feelings and our relationship."

"Well, you guys've always had a soft spot for each other, that's for sure," Misty commented with an easy smile.

May nodded with a smile of her own. "I guess what I like most is that we're the same people."

"How so?"

"Well, even if now I refer to him as my 'boyfriend', which is still a bit weird," she added with a small laugh, "we haven't changed that much; we just do a couple other things, like… well, you know."

"But don't you wish he treated you differently?" Misty asked, amused.

"Well, do _you _wish Ash treated you differently?" May retorted, fixing her gaze on Misty's eyes to emphasize her point. She saw the redhead flinch a little in the wheelchair.

"I… We… It's not like…! Huh…" Misty started, trying to avoid the question.

"You don't have to answer that if you don't want to," the coordinator said. "But think about it." She paused. "Um, I should catch up to Drew. Can't let the grass-head beat me!"

The brunette grinned confidently and then took off, waving at Misty as she ran towards the door.

The gym leader was alone with her thoughts once more. She had to hand it to May that the girl had certainly hit the nail on the head. The way she had been acting around Ash seemed so unlikely of her.

She looked down at her legs, her glare intensifying with each passing second. Maybe if she continued to stare like this they would be intimidated and would start moving again. Her tentative was fruitless, however, and she let out a sigh, leaning against the blasted object again.

_I'm still loving you._

Her eyes widened. Why in the world had those words popped up in her mind? Adding to that, flashes of the previous night were soon making their way into her brain. Her cheeks were heating up in an incriminating way.

"Ah, there she is! I told you she'd be here!" Brock said from the kitchen.

"Guess you were right after all," Melody conceded.

"Misty!" he called.

"What?" She didn't turn her head to them, hoping to recover her normal color before they reached her.

"Most of the press is gone to try and follow Ash. Let's go to the beach or something!" Melody suggested.

Misty nodded, finally turning to them. That would be quite nice, after being forced to spend most of her time stuck in the middle of four walls.

* * *

><p>"Here you go, all healed," Nurse Joy said, happily delivering Ash his pokéballs and Misty's Gyarados.<p>

Pikachu instantly jumped onto his shoulder, nuzzling him as he did so and letting out a happy cry.

"Missed you too, buddy!" Ash exclaimed, putting his pokéballs on the belt and Misty's in his bag. "Thank you, Nurse Joy."

"Anytime," the pink haired woman replied, waving as they exited the building.

Outside, a blue haired girl was waiting. Pikachu immediately recognized her, and the two greeted each other in a friendly way.

"Dawn, I thought you'd gone shopping," Ash said with a confused face.

"I was about to, actually, when I noticed this gigantic shop list your mother gave me," Dawn justified with a smile. "I was wondering if you could help me with it."

"Sure," Ash agreed.

The duo walked through the streets of Cerulean peacefully and silently, Ash leading the way since Dawn wasn't as familiar with the city as he was. He pointed some touristic points as they strolled, and Dawn listened attentively. They reached their destination soon, though.

There they were at the Cerulean Shopping, in an assigned mission from Delia. She had thought it through. There was no backing off now. This was the moment she had been waiting for. They were alone, and she could finally talk to him like she had been meaning to.

"Ash?" she started after taking a deep breath.

"Yeah?" Ash answered, not paying that much attention, as his eyes were glued to a game shop that was demonstrating a new pokémon related videogame.

The coordinator sighed when she noticed what was catching his attention. "I wanted to ask you a couple questions."

"Huh, shoot," he said without detaching his gaze from the monitor.

Dawn sweatdropped. _Okay, if that's gonna be the case._

"Are you gay?"

"Um… WHAT?"

Ash fell to the ground with a dumbfounded expression. Pikachu was laughing hysterically beside him, rolling on the floor with his paws on his stomach. Dawn smirked.

"Caught your attention at last," she commented. "Now, on to the real ques-"

"You didn't have to do that, you know," Ash admonished, getting up and scratching his sore back. He glared at Pikachu. The rodent didn't seem to notice, or if he did, he just didn't care.

"Oh?" Dawn faked innocence. "But you were so drawn to that game."

"Fine," the trainer pouted. "Just ask away."

Dawn nodded and grinned with confidence. "So, Ash, tell me, do you love Misty?" The raven haired man turned red as response. Predictable. "Thought so, too," Dawn proceeded. "Did you tell her that?" A nod. "Okay, that's good." Dawn's grin widened. "Does she love you too?"

"I don't know… maybe?" Ash answered with a shrug.

"What if she doesn't?"

"Huh…"

Dawn didn't bother asking him if he wouldn't fight for her, knowing all too well how Misty felt about the dense idiot in front of her. She mentally groaned.

"And what if she does?"

"Huh… don't know…" Ash muttered.

"Um. Now, that's a problem, isn't it?" She looked like she was having a lot of fun playing cupid. "How do you think it makes her feel?"

"What?" Ash asked with a frown of incomprehension.

Dawn almost rolled her eyes at him. "Not knowing your true intentions and wishes. It's a great accomplishment for you to tell her you love her. Kudos to you, really. It's _finally _happened after all these years of frustration and…" she went on, but Ash wasn't listening anymore.

"Oh," Ash mumbled, apparently having just realized something.

* * *

><p>"This is great!" Melody exclaimed, dropping her bag on the white sand of Cerulean's beach and rushing to try the water.<p>

Brock chuckled, all too used to her reactions, and Misty made a small smile. The redhead inhaled the welcoming scent of salt and tilted her head upwards to meet the sunlight. She felt like a plant that had just been revitalized - chlorophyll was most likely running through her veins at the moment.

Misty sighed blissfully. "She's right, this is just amazing."

"Well, I bet you're feeling great after spending so much time inside the hospital and then your gym," Brock said.

"True," came the short reply.

"Here, take these." The breeder extended her a pair of sunglasses as he rummaged through their bags.

Up ahead, Melody splashed on the water, graciously dancing to a song that apparently only she could hear, spinning and smoothly gesticulating. That vision surprised Misty. Brock was watching too, but with no surprise on his face.

"She's been training to be a dancer, if you must know," Brock said after noticing his former travel companion's expression. "That's why she travels a lot."

"Well, she _did_ say she was in a hurry yesterday," Misty pointed out.

"Oh, but that's just because it was uncomfortable for the two of us."

"Brock?" Misty called, after a minute or so of silence.

"Yeah?"

"I've been meaning to ask you…" she started, fighting to choose the correct words and organize them properly in her head. "Now that this misunderstanding has been cleared, I was wondering why you never tried to explain things to me."

"Oh? But I did, Misty," Brock said, somewhat surprised. Misty mirrored his expression. "I reckon you don't remember." The breeder let out a chuckle.

"What about Melody? Why didn't she say anything?"

"Well, she didn't understand what had gotten you so upset and, honestly, she believed you two would make up soon after, like everyone did. Apparently she realized that now when she heard of the news." Brock shrugged. "You can say that when we met we wouldn't really talk about it because we… huh… met up ocasionally, so… huh… and I didn't get in touch with you guys a lot anyway…"

Misty didn't think that the day in which Brock would be talking in an embarrassed way about his time spent with a lady would ever come. Seemingly, she was wrong.

She puffed, blowing her bangs from her eyes. "Alright, then."

There was no use crying over spilt milk. She should probably just let it go already. And it was none of their fault, too. What really bugged her was how easy it had been for her to form misconceptions and not trust Ash the slightest bit. There was no way they could work like this.

Brock had already taken off his shirt and laid two beach towels - one orange and the other green. He eyed Misty - or, at least, it seemed to be the case (you can never be sure with Brock). "Do you want to lie down too?"

"Oh, no, thanks, I prefer to be able to watch the sea." Misty smiled. That's probably the only reason why she managed to weather her temper.

Brock nodded and gently threw a bottle into her lap. "Get some cream on, though. I don't want you to get sunburnt."

"Oh, Ash would never forgive us if his princess' _smooth skin_ got sabotaged during our holiday," Melody teased, apparently being done with the dancing-with-the-waves thing.

"Melody," Misty growled in a warning tone. The brunette didn't wince the slightest bit though.

"What is it? Do you think it's a secret that the two of you spent the night together?" The redhead glared. However, seeing as her eyes were hidden behind the sunglasses, the effect was null. "Chill, girl. We're all happy for the both of you. Lugia knows it's been ages for you guys to come to terms with your feelings."

"Well, I wouldn't call it 'come to terms' with them," Misty admited in a soft, almost inaudible voice, effectively attaining the couple's attention.

Melody looked at her and, perhaps unknowingly, stared right into her eyes. Misty found that uncomfortable, given the situation. "You mean to tell me you two stubborn-headed idiots haven't worked it out yet? And still you guys had s-"

"As I was saying," Misty interrupted in a loud voice, completely flushed. "No," she admited in a sheepish, lighter voice.

Brock sighed and Melody facepalmed.

"You gotta be kiddin' me," the latter snorted. The breeder simply shook his head, his face covered in bewilderment.

The discomfort was increasing as the seconds passed and, soon enough, Misty found herself wishing she hadn't accepted the invitation. _First May, and now these two._ While she wouldn't mind that much discussing the issue with Brock, her _best friend of years_, having her intimate life being judged by Melody was striking a nerve or two in the parts of her body that weren't paralysed. _That's probably the only thing keeping me from grabbing my stuff and leaving._

"Okay, you need to fix this," Melody spoke up again, in an almost scolding tone.

"Me? Fix what?" Misty asked, truly surprised.

"Fix things with Ash, what else?" The brunette rolled her eyes. "You gotta tell him how you feel. For Ho-Oh, you've had a thing for him since he was ten!"

Red met her cheeks again. "This is none of your business. Go stick your nose elsewhere." She huffed, crossing her arms over her chest.

"I think you should listen to her," Brock chimed in.

"Oh, not you too!" the redhead groaned.

"Well, Misty, for all the years I've known Ash, I can see he's making an effort to please you. And I see he's confused too, since nothing he does seems to get a definite answer from you."

"It's not like I haven't tried to…" she drawled.

Brock continued, ignoring her. "Before, you yelled at him and teased him and made him push harder. He knew what you didn't like, and he might have teased you about it, but now he's trying to really connect with you. That, Misty, speaks volumes about how much he cares for you."

"Or of how guilty he feels," Melody scoffed.

"I know that, okay?" Misty cut them off with a firm tone, causing the couple to look at her. "I know he's been feeling guilty about me being kidnapped and for him being away for so long without trying to reach me. And he told me he loved me, I _know_ that, but what next? Where are we supposed to go from here? We have dates? We hold hands and act lovey-dovey and let the press paste photos of us in the magazines?" She paused to catch her breath. "Do I hit the road with him again? Sell the gym and travel around the globe? Does he stay with me? Gives his goal up? Or do we stay like this - me at the gym and him traveling and fighting for his dreams?"

She was met with silence for all those questions. And, finally, she summed it all up. "I just don't know how to beAsh's _girlfriend_."

Both Brock and Melody seemed to be mulling over her words. The breeder was watching the waves crashing, dissoling into foam. Melody had her cheek supported on her fist, and was staring at nothing in particular.

"You need to tell him that," Melody said.

Misty gave a frustrated sigh.

"Relationships are complicated." Brock nodded, as if he was just forming that idea. "You need to fight for him too, Misty. Otherwise it's not fair."

"You need to forgive yourself for letting that misunderstanding come between you," the brunette woman said, striking the soft spot again.

"And learn from it so you won't repeat the same mistake," Brock added.

"So, basically, you're suggesting that I should have a _rational conversation_ with Ash?" Misty asked in a sarcastic tone, clearly voicing her opinion of this solution.

The couple nodded in agreement.

_Oh, help me Mew._

* * *

><p><strong>So, I feel like this one was somewhat irregular. It's always jumping from setting to setting. But maybe that's not bad. Tell me what you think!<strong>

**I want to thank each and every one of you for bearing with me. I have a group of newcomers and I want to take this chance to welcome them to my ramblings.**

**I'm guessing that since it's summer, a lot of you are on holidays-mood. I bet the sun's been loving your skin to no end! ;)**

_Love&Music_ for you all,

_C'sMelody_


	14. On Guilt and Eavesdropping

**Hallelujah, right? I know, I know. Good news is I just got around a round of exams! Waiting for the results so I can grab a beer with my pals (and yes, that is valid for whether I nail it or fail it.)**

**So I have 10 more watchers, and it makes me so, so happy! Welcome to my crazy mind!**

**Music:**

- "… **And Then I Kissed Him" - from **_**Pearl Harbor **_**soundtrack (Hans Zimmer);**

- "**Andy's Birthday" - from **_**Toy Story **_**soundtrack (Randy Newman);**

- "**Nothing to Say (Just Wanna Say)" - Yiruma**

* * *

><p><strong>On Guilt and Eavesdropping<strong>

"_Drew!"_

The shriek echoed through the room, disturbing the water pokémon in the gym's battle pool. They eyed the scene displayed in front of them with curiosity. This looked promising.

May growled as she glared at her supposed _boyfriend_. They had been at it for ten minutes, switching from place to place, and she was getting annoyed. And to think all she had wanted to do was eat Brock's pancakes!

"Yes, June?" the green haired coordinator mocked, flicking his hair once, clearly pretending to be completely oblivious to May's rampage.

"What's the _big idea_?" she pressed, hands balled into fists by her sides, her figure completely tensed up in pure rage.

"I don't know what you're talking about." Drew continued with his act, dodging as she tried to grasp the object that had started everything.

"Gimme that back!" May yelled, hopping to grasp it from Drew's hands, but, due to his recent growth spurt, failing. "That's my signature accessory!"

"Aw, I totally saw you wearing another one," he commented with a pensive face. "It was green, wasn't it? It suits you better."

A small blush formed across her cheeks, because she knew all too well what he was going on about. This had been a topic overly discussed since they had started dating.

"I love that one just as much. Now give that back, you little punk!"

"'Little punk'? Seriously?" Drew scoffed as he easily avoided another one of her attacks, securely keeping the red item high above his head. "May, as a coordinator, you should know that the green one eradiates elegance and gives you a fresh, natural look. Besides, it perfectly matches your hair color and blue-" He gasped in surprise as his lips were covered with hers. The familiar warmth filled him from the inside, and he nearly groaned at their early separation. "… _eyes_…" he finally breathed out.

Just then, a scarlet May took the chance to get her red bandana back, properly wrapping it around her hair. She looked over her shoulder to give him a victorious smirk, much alike the one he used to make.

"But Drew, red is the color of the roses you give me," she whispered tauntingly. May took off then, leaving him standing there with an equal smirk on his face.

It was hard to tell which was more flushed, but she was sure she had won this one.

And that was the first of many quarrels to happen in the gym that day.

* * *

><p>The Cerulean city gym was going through a relatively calm period. No challengers had come in out of respect for the leader - which ended up aggravating Misty's restlessness, since she couldn't use battling to lash all of her frustrations out; and the media had nearly ceased their attempts of getting a juicy story after the Sensational Sisters had promised to give exclusive interviews and photo shootings - Daisy's idea.<p>

Things were going back to the way they were before.

Well, almost.

Ash was acting funny.

Everyone had gathered in the gym after finishing their errands, and things had gone as normal as possible - considering May and Drew's nonsensical argument was part of the routine. The couple and Dawn had decided to stay in the gym for a while longer, occupying two of the guest rooms, and Melody had declared she would be sharing Brock's room aloud, much to the breeder's discomfort and embarrassment. Delia took the only remaining room, and so that meant Ash had to stay either with his mother or with Misty.

Right.

Misty's physiotherapy was pacing smoothly and some results were already showing. The doctors had been impressed in the first session - all but one, that is. That grumpy doctor Ash had to convince in order to visit Misty - whose name turned out to be Victor - had merely smirked their way and kept on leafing through his papers, taking a few notes as he did so.

And that brings another topic to the spotlight. Ash had been most adamant in accompanying Misty to each and every physiotherapy session and doctor appointments. At first, Misty thought of it as sweet and uncomfortable at the same time. Then, she really started to enjoy the fact that someone was standing by her through those, even if she could tell Ash was still holding on to the guilt factor. However, by the time physiotherapy had started, she hadn't really gathered enough courage to have _the talk _with him, so she couldn't really blame him.

In spite of everything, Ash had been acting off since that day. Misty could only wonder about what was on his mind. Now that she was sharing her bed with him and Pikachu not much had been said. They'd just fall asleep late at night and Misty would wake up first, fully trapped in Ash's bear hug - who would have guessed he was such a snuggler? Besides, with Pikachu there at their feet, some things just wouldn't happen, period. Ash would give her that puppy dog eyes and pouty face every time she pointed that out and be all grumpy every time she woke him up with a shake on his shoulder.

"You're such a spoiled brat," she would say.

"Meanie," would be his response.

They had been at it for almost a week, and Melody was nearing her limit. She would glare daggers at Misty while they had breakfast after noticing nothing had changed. Dawn would give Ash a look that clearly stated she didn't approve too, and both victims would visibly recoil in their chairs.

To be fair, Misty found herself countless times trying to talk to Ash like Melody and Brock had suggested, but something or someone always came in between. And Ash was acting weird - as simple as that.

So, right now, Misty was once more inner debating how she should voice her thoughts to Ash, who was obliviously sitting across from her in the kitchen. They were all alone in that division at last - since Ash's full stomach could only last for so long and had played its trick to bring them there.

"Um… Ash?" she started. He didn't respond at first, his eyes glued to the dish he had just finished devouring. Situations similar to this one had been happening randomly. She tried again, "Holy Mew! Is that a _dancing meatball_?"

"Huh? Where?"

Misty sweatdropped, the itching urge to perform a facepalm playing in the back of her mind as she watched the raven haired trainer eagerly looking around for the dancing meatball.

"Ash, you're truly a lost cause," Misty breathed out impatiently.

"Am not!" he retorted, huffing and crossing his arms over his chest in a childish fashion.

"And childish," she added.

"Are not!"

"Are too," Misty stated with contained calmness.

"Are not!"

She snapped. "Yes, you are, you idiot! You've been acting all moony for this past week! And here I am, trying to hold a normal conversation with you regarding the both of us and our relationship!"

She gasped. _Wait… did I really just say that?_

Ash stared at her, and a grin began to form on his lips.

"Oh, yeah?"

And there it was - that cocky expression he wore when he was sure he had just won something or held the upper hand in some situation. Suddenly, her big kitchen felt too small.

She should have continued with their childish argument.

Ash slowly got up and, resting both palms on the table, leaned forward, the same look lingering on his face.

She should have kept her temper in check.

Misty tried to withdraw, but his hands had moved again to clasp the wheelchair's armrests, pulling her closer until the wheels rubbed against the table's flat surface.

She should have kept her big mouth shut.

"Say it," he challenged in a low voice, smirking.

"S-say what?" she whispered back.

"That you want me," he teased in a singsong voice. She muttered about what an arrogant bastard he was, avoiding his eyes. "You know you do!"

"I cannot believe you!" She huffed, crossing her arms over her chest.

"And who's being childish now?" he pressed. "C'mon, Mist, I'm waiting!"

"I'm not saying it!"

His face fell, and where moments before a confident expression could be seen was his famous (and most dreadful too) puppy face. Misty then knew she was done for. Stupid, stupid Ash.

"You no like me?" He complemented the face with a pout. Misty nearly cringed.

"Ash, aren't you old enough to _not _behave like a child?"

"You think I'm a child? That's why you no like me?" he proceeded with his act. The redhead rolled her eyes at him, forcefully cupping his face. "Dat's not bery mature either." Then she pulled at his jaw's skin.

_This serves as a stress reliever_, were the thoughts running through her head.

Ash deadpanned. "You wook like y'habing fun."

"I sure am," she retorted.

After a moment or two more of that little charade, the gym leader released a sigh from her throat, one she had been holding onto. "Is this really that important to you?"

He nodded, since he still had his cheeks arrested between her crushing fingers.

"Well then, you big baby, of course I do like you," she confessed, her eyes growing softer thus seeing the warm smile he was trying to uphold. Misty let him go, but Ash's smile never faltered. Trying to sound more confident than she felt, she brought the topic back on, "So, we need to talk."

Ash hummed his agreement, but made no mention to start talking. He only stepped forward, letting their foreheads meet.

"We should really discuss our relationship," she managed in a shaky breath.

"What is there to discuss?" Ash asked, moving to kiss the line of her jaw. "We don't hate each other, and we enjoy spending time together… a lot." He paused once he felt her cheeks heat up, biting back a smirk. "And what happened was a misunderstanding."

"Yes, but-"

"Haven't I told you before? No more excuses, Mist," Ash whispered in her ear, a smirk twitching at the corners of his lips when he felt her irregular breath on his neck.

It took all of Misty's self-control to push Ash away from her and, keeping him at arms length, she said, "This is our problem, Ash. We don't talk things through like we should. A relationship needs communication, if that's what we're aiming for." She saw the skeptical look on his face, practically screaming, _Do you need to ask?_

"Just promise me we won't let a misunderstanding get in our way again."

He finally let go of the wheelchair and rounded the table. Taking her hands in his, he squatted so their faces were at nearly the same level. Ash eyed her intensely, chocolate brown meeting aquamarine, as if he was trying to deliver his answer that way, and Misty smiled like she had understood what he was trying to convey.

She knew they didn't need a title, or to make silly promises couples usually made. She just wanted him like that, and knew he wanted the same. Misty felt something inside her warm up when their eyes didn't break the contact. At that moment, she could wholeheartedly say she felt happy; happier than she had been for a while.

_BAM!_

A sudden crashing sound was heard, reverberating through the entire gym. The occupants quickly followed the noise and were met with the sight of two humans and a Meowth piled up on the floor, having apparently just landed. Outraged cries came from up above, giving off that the trio had clearly trespassed. It seemed that closing the hole would take longer than what they had first imagined.

"Team Rocket!" Ash yelled, having just arrived at the scene with Misty, quickly followed by the rest of the gang. "Wait… _again_?" he asked in a quieter tone, somewhat surprised.

"Pi pika?" Pikachu mimicked his trainer's facial expression.

Said team quickly recovered, positioning themselves ready for…

"We are the team that causes trouble!" Jessie started, as a light illuminated her figure.

"I hope you're insured, 'cause we make it double!" James followed.

"No kiddin'!" Meowth added, taking a glimpse at the ceiling they had just fallen from.

"Meowth, stop interrupting our motto!" Jessie shrieked, stomping on the poor feline.

"Yeah, it took us ages to come up with this one!" James too stepped on the pokémon.

"Alright! Got it, dammit!" Meowth exclaimed. "Get off!"

The audience sweatdropped at the familiar scene, and Misty finally realized what Meowth had implied - the hole that was almost closed by the hand of the professionals she had hired was now open again. She clenched her eyes shut, and you could practically see the smoke swirling out and around of her head.

"Who are these people?" Melody's question was left in the air, as no one cared to answer.

Well, almost.

"To protect Team Rocket from remorse!" Jessie continued, taking her foot off the cat.

"To unite the twerps for better and for worse!" James mimicked her actions, much to Meowth's delight.

"To denounce the evils of eavesdropping and loathing!"

"To make this couple kissy and loving!"

"Jessie!"

"James!"

"Team Rocket apologizes at the speed of light!"

"Accept it now or cry we might!"

"Unfortunately, dat's right," finished a sore Meowth, still on the ground, with a paw on his chin and a peeved expression.

The mentioned couple appeared to be in a mix of mortification and annoyance, and they were both blushing so hard they put Pikachu's cheeks to shame. Misty was the first to interrupt the silence.

"You. Three. Little." She hissed those three words dangerously, effectively managing to cause the hair on the trio's backs to rise. The redhead couldn't find a name to call them right now, since her brain was tinted red and she wanted nothing more than to strangle them for two reasons: one, they had re-opened the nearly closed hole; two, they had chosen to rebuild their motto to strike hers and Ash's nerves - successfully doing so - and had finished with an apology, which clearly could never mean something good was awaiting.

Jessie, James and Meowth were currently embracing each other and shaking in fear. Misty was _very _scary on her own - something that a wheelchair did nothing to appease - let alone her plus her Gyarados in the picture. It didn't really help that the rest of the twerps and their powerful pokémon were there too.

"Jessie, do something!" James whimpered, clutching her tighter.

"Pikachu," Ash called calmly. His buddy hopped onto his shoulder, sparks on his cheeks, ready to make them fly.

"Wait, wait, wait, wait!" Jessie cried, shaking her head and her hands in a negative fashion.

"We're only here to apologize!" James exclaimed, figuring Jessie wouldn't say such a thing.

"Yeah, no stealing Pikachu! Honest!" Meowth added.

"How can we know for sure?" Brock asked.

"Well, you'll have to trust us!" Jessie offered.

Drew snorted. "I have an idea."

* * *

><p>The room was dark and painfully silent.<p>

Jessie, James and Meowth twitched nervously at each minimum noise they heard, sweating profusely. They were back to back, fully enveloped in a tight rope, and their pokéballs had been taken so they wouldn't try anything.

A glaring pair of bright red eyes watched them silently, and two lanterns illuminated the faces of a smirking greenhead and a frowning brunette. The latter slammed his hand against the hard, plastic surface of the table that separated them with petulance, causing the trio to visibly wince.

"We want answers, and we want them now!" he said in a cold voice; one he didn't tend to use much. "Gyarados-"

"B-b-b-but we k-know n-n-nothing!" stammered a frightened James. Seeing the pokémon breeder look so upset held all forms of wrong - it was true that the scariest thing was when good-natured, loving and patient people snapped.

"So what did you guys come here to apologize for?" Drew calmly asked, crossing his arms over his chest while maintaining the lantern turned on, keeping his cool unlike his companion detective.

"Well… see..." Jessie started, hesitant and struggling with words. "We suspect that what's behind the female twerps' kidnap is a discussion we three were having… which was probably eavesdropped on."

Both Brock and Drew stopped on their tracks, making bewildered and realizing faces.

Brock furrowed his eyebrows once more. "Okay, if you tell us _properly _what happened, we'll let you go."

James, who was a bit teary-eyed up to that point, let his tears fall unceremoniously, sobbing with gratitude. Jessie threw him an annoyed glare, and was about to give him a piece of her mind when Meowth sighed and decided to take the lead.

"Well, ya see, it was all 'bout a month ago…"

* * *

><p>"<em>What do you think the twerps are up to now?" James asked, bored out of his mind, while flipping the pages of a fashion magazine.<em>

"_Who knows?" responded an equally bored Jessie, read to snap at any moment. She was pacing back and forth on Team Rocket's headquarters' common room in the Kanto region._

_They had been demoted a few years ago, right when Ash had taken off to another region, and now they barely got out. When they did, however, it was to commit the smallest of crimes, like stealing some groceries, gadgets and other stuff Team Rocket's scientists deemed necessary. The trio rarely stole pokémon anymore._

"_It's not like we could get our hands on dat Pikachu," Meowth said with a scoff, continuing to sharpen his nails._

"_I wonder if the twerp and the female twerp with short temper have finally gotten together," James mused aloud, pursing his lips and ignoring his fellow roommates' grim expressions. He grimaced at how unnecessary it was to overuse the word 'twerp'._

_Jessie shrugged and eyed the space with disdain - empty, nearly devoid of furniture aside from the grey old couches, and with only food and drink machines to keep them company. Considering how the offices and laboratories were filled with high-quality furniture and technology, it seemed all too ridiculous. _

"_I guess there's no way of finding out," she breathed out half-heartedly._

"_I betcha wanna know just as much as Jimmy over there," Meowth pointed out with a devilish smirk._

_Jessie's eyebrow twitched. James recoiled, reading in between the lines and easily concluding that his counterpart was _really _about to snap._

_A group of Rockets of different positions entered the common room, not greeting a single one of them in the process, and going straight to the machines. Resonant, maniacal laughter sometimes reached their ears._

_The magenta haired woman made a face that clearly stated her indignation. Meowth ignored it, opting to return to their previous topic._

"_I bet dat twerp has gotten somewhere by now. How long's it been? Ten years?"_

"_Around that, I suppose," James agreed._

"_I say he should have some really powerful pokémon with him now," Jessie added. "Even rare, I'd say."_

"_Probably," Meowth agreed. "The female twerp also had some powerful pokémon, but I guess dat's what it takes to be a gym leader."_

"_Arceus, can't we just treat them by their names?" James groaned, mildly peeved by the fact they kept treating those two as children. "It's Ash and Misty if I recall correctly."_

"_You started it, Jimmy," Meowth pointed out. "Well, Ashy-boy has probably been catching those rare pokémon in Unova and Kalos. Pity we can't see them here."_

"_Do you think so, Meowth?" James asked, truly curious._

"_Of course," Jessie answered instead, crossing her arms over her chest. The voices of their counterparts had begun fading behind them, but they barely noticed. No one cared about each other's matters in Team Rocket. Supposedly. "And I bet he and the carrot-head haven't confessed yet."_

"_How can you bet on that? We haven't seen them in years!" James exclaimed._

"_Well, every time the twerp pops up on the news, he's always by himself, and sometimes a new girl appears by his side, but never for long."_

"_She's gotta point," Meowth said, nodding slightly._

"_I think he's only keeping it secret. You know, because of paparazzi and stuff," James retorted. "Also, the Sensational Sisters already draw enough attention to the gym."_

"_Dat's also true," the feline agreed._

"_Ha! She's also had boyfriends!" Jessie exclaimed, waving it off. "As if a girl would wait around for that long!"_

"_Like I said, it's only for the screen!" James spat back._

_Meowth eyed the both of them with mild interest, shrugging before chiming in, "There's no point in arguing over dat if we ain't seeing them." He proceeded after earning their attention. "Besides, what does dat matter? I bet Ketchum's gotten his hands on some pretty rare pokémon, and Waterflower has been rumored to be hell to beat. Ya know what'll happen when we tell dat to the boss, don't cha?"_

"_We're gonna be rich!" Jessie gushed, slamming her palms together in utter joy._

"_Yeah, yeah, but keep your voice down. We're not the only ones in the room, yanno?"_

"_But if we tell him, he might just hand over the task to someone else!" James said._

"_Jimmy's got a point."_

"_Oh, for Mew's sake! Stop calling me Jimmy, you stupid talking pokémon!"_

_Before they engaged in a serious fight, Jessie strolled in between the two and presented both of their faces with one of her palms._

"_So noisy!" she grumbled. "Shut up and let me think of a plan."_

* * *

><p>"… and that's basically what happened," Meowth finished.<p>

"We didn't go to our boss if that's what you're wondering," Jessie added before Brock had the time to intervene.

"_Then why the hell did you ambush me?" _Ash's voice was heard through the phone in Drew's hand.

They had taken the detective act way too serious.

"B-because we were on a mission!" James squeaked. "It's so rare one happens to us…"

"Yes, and we were just camping there. We were starting to move when you showed up."

You could practically hear Dawn and Melody facepalm from the other side of the line. Misty let a frustrated groan escape her throat, and Ash's reassuring whispers weren't easy to miss.

"You're saying this was all a coincidence?" Drew asked, barely concealing his bewilderment.

Meowth shrugged. "If ya wanna call it dat."

Brock scoffed, sitting down, and looking very tired as he did so. This went unnoticed by everyone else, since it was so dark.

"Say…" James started tentatively. "If you could release us know, it'd be great…"

* * *

><p>Hours later, the gang was once more in the kitchen - it was turning out to be their reunion spot - lightly chatting as Brock and Delia finished fixing some sandwiches and juice for everyone to eat.<p>

"I'm telling you, Vicious could have easily planned it all," Ash insisted from his chair.

"We hear you, Ash, but really, there's nothing more to be done," May said. "He's arrested, and will probably be for the rest of his days."

"Oh yeah? Just wait until one of his _friends _gets him out," Misty joined, crossing her arms over her chest. "And I bet he was that creep undercover that came to challenge me the other day; or at least someone he hired."

Brock made an agreeing sound.

"Precisely!" Ash exclaimed.

"Aw, aren't you two the cutest thing?" Melody gushed from the sink, as she helped Brock and Delia bring the food to the table.

Both Ash and Misty turned scarlet shortly after, and the latter mumbled a weak "shut up" before averting her eyes from the curious glances of her friends.

Ash slipped his left hand under the table, reaching for hers. He then lightly entwined their fingers reassuringly. It seemed he was making some sort of statement, and it made Misty remember they had been interrupted just when they had figured things out. Trekking back, she didn't know why they hadn't before - it's not like he had hurt her, it's not like she had acted any better than him. She had basically been dreading a serious conversation with Ash for nothing.

When she came back to her senses, her friends had restarted to talk about the same topic, but Ash's hand remained there, never faltering.

"I don't think Giovanni knew about it," Brock said. "Otherwise we'd already be under attack."

"Agreed. Nonetheless, it's probably for the best to lay low for now," May suggested.

"That is quite the challenge," Drew commented in a lighthearted fashion, flipping his hair before letting his arm fall on her shoulders. "Being coordinators and everything, we aren't _supposed _to lay low."

"We don't have to," Dawn pointed out. Everyone turned to her. "Think about it, if suddenly we disappeared, it would be weird. Then they'd be sure something was up."

"Or that we're hiding something," Melody added. The gang nodded in consent. "You never told me that what you did with your friends was basically espionage," she whispered to Brock. "I'd be eager to come here more often if I knew."

The breeder shifted uncomfortably after hearing her suggestive comment, and opted not to answer to prevent further collateral damage.

"But we can't have Misty being seen around in a wheelchair, that would also be alarming," Delia said.

"It's not like the papers won't do that job for us," Drew retorted, shrugging.

"So, what do we do?" May asked. "Ash being here is threatening for the both of them."

"I'm not leaving," Ash suddenly said, tightening his hold on Misty's hand. "It… huh… wouldn't be safe for us either way. They could try something again."

"Fair enough," Brock conceded. "So, what to do?"

Melody had a mischievous smirk plastered on her face. "I might have a plan."

* * *

><p><strong>To be honest, the reason I took so long is because some parts kind of went back and forth for me, so tell me how it feels, please!<strong>

**The first two lines of the motto come from the episode **_**The Chikorita Rescue.**_

_Love&Music_ for you all,

_C'sMelody_


	15. Such Sweet Sorrow

**Hum… I really wanted to have updated sooner. Believe you me, exams drain any and every brain.**

**Gary - 21**

**Music:**

- "**Lost Stars", from **_**Begin Again,**_** by Keira Knightley**

- "**A Meeting and Parting" - from Pokémon Anime Sound Collection**

- "**Everybody Leaves in the End" - The Temper Trap**

* * *

><p><strong>Such Sweet Sorrow<strong>

_This was as sad as goodbyes went._

_After so many years of meeting and parting with friends, Misty was sure she should have mastered the art of enduring these kinds of things. It had been all she could do to keep from sobbing when the last words and loving gestures had been shared. _

_Looking at Ash, he was in no better shape than herself, only he didn't hide his emotions so well. Fighting a teary chuckle, she mentally acknowledged that that was Ash alright._

* * *

><p><em>I might have a plan. <em>

Or so her words had been. Brock knew that once something crossed his lover's mind it was bound to involve danger. And oh, didn't his best friend Ash already eradiate enough 'danger vibes' - as Brock liked to call it - with no one's help? Of course he did.

Now don't misinterpret him: Brock loved having his girlfriend around more than anything. He just wished she didn't fuel Ash's 'danger vibes' any further.

Brock just prayed to Mew this plan would work out.

He watched his Crobat use Supersonic to look for some insects. Only his bat pokémon would enjoy spending time with his trainer at such late hours. Also, this could be considered training… in some very random kind of way.

Brock had clearly been under enormous distress during the past weeks, and rightfully so, he'd like to think, considering all the prior events. Bags under his eyes were the least of his concerns. The breeder had countless times tried to appease his mind with comforting words and thoughts, but he would be lying if he said that he had been this tempted to resort to pills before.

Not long after, a Taillow landed on a branch next to Crobat, and the two greeted each other in a friendly way. The breeder heard footsteps nearing him.

"Am I that predictable?" Brock chuckled lightly.

"No, I just felt like Taillow needed a change of pace. She's still very young and inexperienced; needs to see and experience new things," Melody whispered back, but both knew she was lying. The footsteps ceased. Brock could feel her body warmth beside him. "Can't sleep?"

"Appears to be the case."

"What's on your mind?" she asked again, grazing the back of his hand with her fingers.

He accepted her attempt at comforting him, holding her hand. "Those two stubborn headed people are my best friends. Actually, no, make that my family," he corrected. "When Misty was kidnapped, I felt incredibly hopeless _and _guilty. Don't say I shouldn't," he stopped her. "It broke my heart to watch Ash in such a desperate state."

"Everything played out just fine after…" she tried, "…kinda?"

Brock scoffed. "Every time I see Misty in that damned wheelchair, I remember my failure."

"Hey, don't be so hard on yourself." Melody rubbed her other hand against his forearm, hoping it would ease some of the tension.

"I'm not depressed, Melody, I'm just contemplative," Brock pointed out.

She threw him a skeptical look. "Contemplative my ass," she retorted. "Look," she turned him to her, "from what I've gathered, you're an amazing friend, okay? They couldn't ask for any better, nor would they _want _to anyway, so stop being so hard on yourself! You're just allowing all this bottled up emotion to come flooding out because you know what comes next."

The corners of his lips twitched a little. How he had missed this. He kissed her forehead. "You're probably right."

"Sure I am," she retorted with a smirk. "Now come to bed and be my heater. My feet are freezing, you know? Do your job properly."

"Sure, ma'am."

* * *

><p>"So, Ashy-boy, tell me all about it."<p>

Ash glared, a look of pointed annoyance gracing his features.

He resisted the urge to growl and blow the other a loud raspberry, his eyebrows twitching repeatedly in sheer exasperation. The trainer didn't expect to hear that voice again so soon, much less being sitting there, brainstorming some ideas together while he stood all _too _close to _his _Misty. He almost blamed Brock for suggesting they'd call _him _because he was 'perfect for the role'.

_Arceus, what's this? Auditions for a play?_

Misty, already disposed of the wheelchair - relying on crutches instead - threw Ash curious glances now and then, seemingly amused with his childish attitude. Dawn and May sniggered from the left side, a smirking Drew joining them, and his mother, Brock and Melody eyed them knowingly.

But Ash found this not amusing at all.

"Gary," he hissed after a dramatic pause, "there is nothing to tell."

"I see. So after coming back to Pallet town, having Misty kidnapped, actually_ saving _her, getting her in a wheelchair and now calling out to me for help? I think there's a lot to explain." Gary drawled, watching Ash squirm at each landed jab.

"Just shut up and help us, okay?" Ash snarled.

He and Gary might have stopped bickering like kids since a long time ago, and might even go as far as call each other 'friend', but damn it all, he knew how to aggravate Ash to his content!

"Alright. If you two are done, I'll just take it from here," Melody started, breaking their staring contest.

"Works for me," Gary commented.

"Whatever."

The brunette sighed. "It's a very simple plan. May, Drew, Dawn and Mrs. Ketchum will start a false rumor about Ash going on another journey, with me and Brock accompanying him." She paused to let the information sink in. "But Ash won't really leave. We need him here so we can ascertain whether Team Rocket is after him or not. If they come after us, it's clear they are. If for some reason they decide to attack the gym again, opting to not believe the rumors, Ash and Misty will take care of it."

"Have you warned the police?" Gary asked.

"We thought about it," Brock answered instead, "but we came to the conclusion it would draw unwanted attention. It has already been a huge ruckus around Misty's condition, and we asked them to be discrete."

"And miss a chance to gape at Jenny in uniform?" Gary smirked. "Who are you and what did you do to the old Brock?"

The breeder noticeably tensed up. He studied Melody's face from out the corner of his eyes, finding nothing but a blank expression.

"Is that so?" She cocked an eyebrow at Brock teasingly. The rest of the group stared with mild curiosity.

Brock cleared his throat to drop the topic. "Anyway, the point is discretion is the key. We only want fake rumors around. Mrs. Ketchum will go back to Pallet immediately after the departure, so that it can spread through Pallet too. Dawn, Drew and May will proceed normally, and pay the occasional visit. Misty will re-open the gym, and Ash will have to _really-_- and I mean _really,"_ he added for the sole purpose of successfully gluing that information to the trainer's head, "lay low for now. No one can see him in Cerulean, much less in the gym."

"I think we're overdoing it," Misty interrupted, causing Pikachu to look up from her lap.

"We're doing this to keep you safe," Dawn replied calmly.

"I know, and I thank you. I just think that lies, rumors, and gossip lead nowhere." She shrugged.

"I have to agree," Gary said. "What will you do when Ash disappears from some place just to get here? Also, how will you explain his absence from gym battles; from his Orange League or whatever-else duties for so long?"

"We'll think of that," Ash retorted.

"Sure you will," Gary snorted, "just like you all realized you're basically using Misty as bait."

The group went silent then, and Ash ran a possessive hand through Misty's shoulders. The latter sighed. "It's not like I mind, or like I can't kick their butts by myself. I was just caught off-guard that time. It won't happen again."

"Well, that might be true, but I don't want you in constant alarm, not knowing whether you're being targeted again or not!" Ash retorted, earning a skeptical look from the redhead.

"Well, here's my suggestion: do nothing."

"Are you saying we should just sit around and hope for the best?" May chimed in.

Gary shrugged. "If they know you all have Misty's back, then there's no way they'll be stupid enough to try something. It's best to stick together right now."

"I agree," Drew said. "It's no use running about spreading lies that might lead us to a suicidal attempt at keeping Misty from harm."

Melody and Brock exchanged meaningful glances, but said nothing else.

"I just don't want any of you fussing around me more than necessary," Misty commented. "Go on with your lives like usual. I'm no lady in distress."

"I guess that settles it then," Gary cheered with a smirk.

Ash leaned over to whisper in Misty's ear teasingly, "You'd have to be a lady first."

She was immediately taunted.

Misty glared. It was super-effective.

Pikachu sighed.

Ash fled.

* * *

><p>"Mrs. Ketchum?"<p>

"You can call me Delia, dear." The older woman smiled warmly at the redhead standing next to her. Before her struggling complexion, Delia could guess where this conversation would take them. "What can I do for you?"

Misty scanned the rest of the room, making sure that the kitchen was clear from all of her friends. Though that might have been unnecessary - they were so loud she could hear their fooling around all the way from the main pool.

"I was wondering…" she started, then shaking her head. Her frown gave away that she was trying to organize her thoughts and build a sentence to properly address whatever was bugging her.

"Yes?" Delia asked patiently, continuing to scrub the remains of their lunch from the plates.

"How do you handle it?" Delia stopped what she was doing to kindly meet Misty's eyes. "I mean, you always look so strong and composed…" Misty trailed off, hoping Delia could fill in the blanks by herself.

"Oh, dear, but you _are _strong," Delia retorted. Before Misty's frown, she continued. "Ash's father used to leave for long periods of time too, and sometimes I didn't even know where he was if he didn't call me." She giggled at the memories. "But despite that, he always looked so happy I couldn't possibly be mad at him for more than three seconds." Delia winked at Misty, and the youngest scratched the back of her head sheepishly.

Damn, Ash was starting to rub off on her.

"Still, that must've been hard for you," Misty commented.

"Oh, it was. We fought a lot," Delia agreed. "It was all worth it though. And when Ash was born, we couldn't be happier."

Both smiled, but Misty soon dissolved her expression into a hard-thinking one.

"Any advice?"

"Hum…" Delia pondered aloud, "remember what brought you together in the first place, and trust each other. If you want to be together, there's nothing that'll stand in your way that you can't solve."

Misty grinned. "Thanks," she said, reaching out her hand to squeeze Delia's, "for everything."

"Oh, dear, you're welcome, as always," Delia replied, taking the redhead's hand with both of hers. And then, leaning forward, as if letting on a secret, she whispered, "I always knew you two would come around."

Misty grinned back coyly, a faint blush gracing her cheeks.

She was nearing the door when Delia called her back. Slightly confused, the gym leader turned her head backwards to listen to what the older one had to say.

"Nearly forgot the most important thing," Delia said with a smile. "Faith."

With one more smile full of gratitude, Misty left the kitchen and Delia behind.

* * *

><p>Days rushed by after the accident that had brought them all together. The gym was open to challengers again, but only during the morning for now. Misty still had to catch up on a lot of things. Drew, May, Dawn, and Gary always came and went from their obligations. Delia, Melody and Brock stayed in the gym most of the time, and insisted on dragging Misty to the beach whenever Ash had to fly away to tend to some business.<p>

Speaking of whom, Ash and Misty seemed to be getting along just fine. An extrapolar form of friendship, as Brock liked to put it, but maybe he wouldn't have the same opinion had he gotten the privilege to spy on the couple when no eyes should be prying.

It had been in one of those ordinary days, when the three coordinators had left to participate in a nearby competition, and Gary spent almost all day locked up in his hotel room tackling report after report, that a letter arrived. Well, at least a _non_-fan letter.

At first, Misty had thought it was Erik, seeing as it wasn't adressed to the 'Sensational Sisters', to 'Misty Mermaid' or some other crap she had long gotten tired and used to, and that reminded her she had failed to reply to his first letter yet. There was no sender, however. In fact, the envelope was left in blank.

She had been frowning for longer than necessary, ignoring the rest of her mail when Ash entered the kitchen, and went - unceremoniously, I might add - straight to the fridge. He grabbed the peanut butter jar, closed the door, and surveyed the space in search for bread.

After several minutes spent producing a sandwich with far more peanut butter than a normal person would consume in between two slices of bread, he plopped down in front of the redhead, and eyed her and the letter with curiosity.

"Ya know, those adds're always sayin' you'll get wrinkles if ya frown too much," he managed as he munched down his sandwich.

Misty glared at him for more than just one reason, but she put aside the lecture about how you shouldn't speak with your mouth full.

The gym leader sighed. "This strange letter arrived," she said. "Upon reading it twice, I think it must be for you and not for me. Though why the hell she chose to send it here surpasses me."

"Lemme see."

She handed him the piece of paper, and studied his focused face as he read. Her lips curled at the corners.

_Greetings, moron,_

_I've heard about your little girlfriend's predicaments, and, well… I'm sorry, okay?_

_By the way, I go by Alice now, and I'm working at a lab in Sinnoh region. You can stop grinning right there, dumbass. I always knew I had the abilities to work at a lab, it just wasn't my I suppose my sister would've been proud._

_Now, I don't give a shit about my ex-partner, and I'm kinda glad you put him behing bars. It'd be a nuisance if the new company I'm working at were to hear about our recent partnership. _

_So, as a thank you gift, I write you this letter to say that you have nothing to worry about. We worked together behind Giovanni's back. The pokémon you saw outside the tower belonged to some of his underlings, but they won't breathe a word out of fear for what Giovanni could do when learning of their secret agenda. And from what I've gathered, Giovanni doesn't give a damn about my ex-partner's situation either. That's what you get from trying to dethrone your boss._

_That said, your secret's safe with me. Yes, I _know _for a fact that, despite all your denial, you have some interesting stuff in your possession. But don't worry - your sweetheart is safe, as are the rest of your family and friends._

_See y'around, loser,_

_O_

"So?" she asked after a while, when his face returned to normal and he dropped the paper to bite on his sandwich.

"Well, it's obviously Oakley," he stated.

"You think she's being honest about us not needing to worry? Because that'd be a relief."

"Yeah, I think she's telling the truth," Ash nodded. "There's no reason for her to risk her neck like this if it isn't."

"She could be luring us into a trap, you know."

"I don't think so."

"That's 'cause you always assume the best in people," Misty countered.

"What's wrong with that?" he demanded.

"Nothing's wrong with that. I'm just saying."

They paused for a while. There was another thing bugging her, so she decided to just go for it.

"The last part… is it true?"

He hesistated for a bit, avoiding eye-contact. "… yeah."

"Oh."

"Yep."

Ash stood up abruptly then, taking his plate to the sink. He started washing it absentmindly, and Misty watched his back with curiosity.

"I was meaning to tell you, actually," he started. "Only Professor Oak knows about this. And Brock, but I told him that before I went to rescue you that night. He advised me not to take any kind of rare or uncommon pokémon, but I had to bring Garchomp along. We'd be damned if I hadn't."

"Go on," she encouraged.

Ash dried the plate and placed it back in its proper place. He spun around, putting his hands inside his jeans' pockets as he leaned against the oven. "During my traveling alone, I caught a lot of different kinds of pokémon, including some rare species. I told Professor Oak that my condition for letting him study them was for him to keep this between us, and, of course, he agreed."

"What kind of rare species?"

"I don't know if it's a good idea for you to know."

Misty threw him a skeptical look. "If you're worried I'll let it out under pressure, I-"

"It's not that," he cut her off, and rushed to sit in front of her. Ash reached for her hands. "I know you won't, and there lays the problem." She frowned. "They already took you once, knowing I'd come for you; believing that that way they could get hold of my pokémon." He paused, eyes boring into hers. "We were _lucky _you got away with only pseudoparalysis, and one that's healing so well to boot!"

"Ash," she interruped, squeezing his hands back. "Look at me." He did. "I am perfectly capable of standing on my own. And now literally too," she added the last part with a light snort.

"I know that, Misty, I just-"

"_And_," she pressed, "I know what kind of dangers there might come from this relationship. Guess what? I don't care!" Her face lightened up, and despite being the color of the sea, her eyes were burning with determination. "I'm not some scared princess locked up in a tower, or a lady in distress as you have pointed out as well." Ash sniggered at that comment, but let her proceed. "I want you to see me as your equal. I want to walk _by _your side, not in front of you, or behind you. That's how we've always been: partners, walking side by side."

Ash sighed. "When did you become so wise?" he mocked, entwining their fingers.

"Spending time with Brock has its perks, Ketchum, and I'll be the better person and ignore your jab."

"And here I thought you were looking for equality."

"Give me names and we'll be even again," she challenged.

"Fair enough," he gave in. "Let's see… Dragonite, Lucario, Pupitar, Salamence-"

"Wait, you have a Dragonite?!"

"Tell me about it," Ash groaned. "Charizard wasn't too happy."

"I can only wonder why," she retorted with a cock of her eyebrow. "What else?"

"I think that's enough for now." He silenced her protests with a peck on the nose.

"You missed," she teased.

"Did I?" He smirked, nuzzling her neck.

She nodded, biting her lower lip.

"You smell nice," he comented, as he kissed his way to her ear lobe.

"You don't smell bad either." The redhead tugged at his black t-shirt, pulling him closer.

Their eyes locked in a provocative staring contest, but before Ash could aim better this time, she stopped him with one hand.

"So… I guess we're celebrating now, right?" she asked.

Ash nodded.

"We should let everyone know then, and pop some champagne."

His face instantly fell, and he let out a groan. Misty had to clamp her lips together to stifle a snort. "You are pure evil, woman," he moaned.

She rolled her eyes at him playfully. "W ell," she added with a mischievous smirk, "I guess we could have a private celebration first." Ash perked up at her words, and she barely managed a laugh before her lips were sealed.

* * *

><p>The celebration didn't last long.<p>

Two days later, all packed, bags in hand, two friends went on their own adventure, headed towards the Orange Islands. Watery stares and bittersweet words had gone back and forth between the two groups at the airport of Saffron City. They had earned quite a few odd stares from passerby strangers, but they quickly rushed back to their way after being utterly ignored.

"It's been a blast, guys, really!" Melody exclaimed.

"It was really nice to meet you," May said, tearing up. "We're gonna miss you guys."

"Come back to visit soon," Delia intervened. "Brock's like Ash's older brother, and family should stick together."

"Despite not being a married couple, you're surely acting as one by going on a honeymoon," Gary snarled.

Misty raised an eyebrow at the former trainer. "I wonder how you got hold of that information."

He shrugged. "Don't you know who I am?"

"Moving on…" Melody clasped her hands together as she inhaled deeply. "Brock, don't you wanna say goodbye?"

Said breeder had been staring off into distance as each plane came and went, not facing his friends. Then he turned around, and stared (I suppose) right back at his former traveling companions, tears threatening to start cascading down his eyes. With a strangled whimper, he engulfed both Ash and Misty in a bear hug. Misty was glad Ash had scooped her frame against his, or else she was sure she'd fall flat on her back.

"Brock, thank you so, so much," Misty shakily whispered in his ear, "for everything."

"You're the best friend ever," Ash added, gently patting his back

"Thanks guys," Brock managed in between sobs. "I'm really gonna miss you."

They stood like that for a while, Brock smothering them down with advice and domestic tips, as May and Dawn provided the (literally) maudlin soundtrack.

"Alright, we have to get moving or else we'll miss the plane," Melody spoke up, breaking the hug. "I promise we'll visit a lot, and _you_," she pointed to the group before her, "I demand you all visit us too!"

They all watched as the couple turned around, bags in hand, ready to do the check in. The group shouted some more words, but Brock didn't turn around again.

This was as sad as goodbyes went.

After so many years of meeting and parting with friends, Misty was sure she should have mastered the art of enduring these kinds of things. It had been all she could do to keep from sobbing when the last words and loving gestures had been shared.

Looking at Ash, he was in no better shape than herself, only he didn't hide his emotions so well. Fighting a teary chuckle, she mentally acknowledged that that was Ash alright.

* * *

><p><strong>Okay, so many of you probably expected this story to go on a different way, but I feel that it's enough. I think I'll just write an epilogue and that's it.<strong>

**I won't stop writing for this fandom, but I'll probably stick to one-shots. I have one coming up (once I figure out what to do with the ending), but it's nothing like this one. Other than that, don't expect much, since I have other fandoms to catch up to. ****But follow me to get notified!**

_Love&Music _for you all,

_C'sMelody_


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